Fort Worth residents tell city council: No data centers
Fort Worth residents gathered at a City Hall meeting to demand a 90-day moratorium on data center construction, citing concerns about a proposed Black Mountain project's water usage and noise. Despite a clear conflict of interest for Mayor Mattie Parker, the City Council unanimously voted to start the process for a moratorium, though residents expressed skepticism about the proposed Data Center and Infrastructure Commission.
Fort Worth residents convened at City Hall to advocate for a 90-day moratorium on future data center construction, with a potential extension, and to establish a civilian-led body for data center decisions. This push comes in response to Black Mountain's proposal for a 530-acre, $10 billion data center in southeast Fort Worth, projected to consume five million gallons of water daily and generate significant noise. The proposed site impacts predominantly African-American and Chicano working-class neighborhoods and is adjacent to Weston Gardens, a historic botanical garden.
Concerns were raised regarding Mayor Mattie Parker's potential conflict of interest, as her husband, David Parker, lobbies for the Data Center Coalition. Despite recommendations for her recusal, Mayor Parker participated in the council's unanimous vote on the resolutions. A Data Center and Infrastructure Commission was proposed, but residents criticized its structure, which allocates only five of eleven seats to locals, with the majority held by council-appointed "experts." Dr. Michael Slattery, director of Texan Christian University’s Institute for Environmental Studies, was appointed to head the commission, drawing further criticism for not being a Fort Worth resident.
Local activists, including Nathan Chase and Lydia Faith of the Fort Worth Environmental Coalition of Communities, voiced their support for a moratorium but expressed reservations about the commission's composition and the limited 90-day period. State Rep. Vikki Goodwin also spoke in favor of a statewide moratorium. Resident Stephen Sanchez presented audio evidence of significant noise from a similar crypto mine.
Ultimately, the City Council voted unanimously to initiate the process for a moratorium, expected in December, despite public skepticism and the mayor's non-recusal. Public comments were later curtailed, leading to resident anger. Despite feeling the council was influenced by corporate interests and the commission's structure was flawed, residents vowed to continue their pressure to prevent further data center development.