Exclusive: Senate candidate Jamie Davis calls for data center moratorium
Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Jamie Davis is calling for a moratorium on new data center construction in Louisiana until the state better understands the facilities’ water and environmental impacts. The proposal follows concerns about aquifer withdrawals and limited disclosure of water-use projections, including for Meta’s planned Hyperion project in Richland Parish.
Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Jamie Davis is urging Louisiana to stop approving new data centers until policymakers can assess their effects on drinking-water aquifers and the environment. Davis said the state should require developers to identify alternative cooling-water sources and called for a moratorium on construction.
The article highlights water-use uncertainty surrounding several Louisiana developments. Meta’s Hyperion project in Richland Parish has expanded from 2 gigawatts to 5 gigawatts, while a Tulane report found wells associated with the project are registered to pump up to 23 million gallons per day from the Mississippi River Alluvial Aquifer. Meta said it plans to use closed-loop cooling and contribute $340 million to local water resources and infrastructure. Other projects involving Amazon, Applied Digital and Hut 8 are also discussed, with Hut 8 funding water infrastructure upgrades in West Feliciana Parish.