Data center fight brings both parties together in Jasper County
Organizers claim Meta is targeting Jasper County, Georgia, for hyperscale data centers, prompting bipartisan opposition. Residents are mobilizing for a public hearing to protest the proposed annexation and rezoning of land, and to advocate for ordinances to prevent future data center development. Concerns include water, electricity, and agricultural land preservation.
In Monticello, Georgia, organizers are raising alarms that Meta, Facebook's parent company, is targeting land in Jasper County and another site in Jackson for two new hyperscale data centers. This has spurred a bipartisan effort, with Republican and Democratic leaders uniting to mobilize residents for a public hearing scheduled for July 6 at the Jasper County Courthouse. The opposition is focused on preventing the City of Monticello from annexing three large parcels near Mine Lake, which would enable rezoning from agricultural to mixed-use, including industrial.
Residents and business owners are petitioning the Jasper County Commission to block the annexation and urging the county to enact a strong ordinance and industrial development policy to regulate large-scale industrial projects like data centers. Additionally, a resolution has been submitted to the Monticello Planning Commission and City Council, advocating for a prohibition on data center construction, operation, or expansion within city limits and calling for restrictions on various governmental actions that could facilitate data center development, such as annexation, rezoning, and utility agreements. Concerns cited in the resolution include potential impacts on water resources, utility infrastructure, electrical capacity, roads, natural habitats, agricultural land, and public services, as well as noise and light pollution.