'Invading our land': Willie Nelson urges Texas communities to fight against data centers
Country music legend Willie Nelson is publicly opposing data centers, particularly near his hometown of Abbott in Central Texas. He describes them as "loud, water thieving, and light polluting" and warns about their negative impact on farmland and rural communities. Nelson is urging communities to actively fight against these developments to protect essential resources.
Willie Nelson, the 93-year-old country music icon, has publicly voiced strong opposition to the proliferation of data centers, specifically citing concerns about their development near his Central Texas hometown of Abbott. In social media posts, Nelson described data centers as "loud, water thieving, and light polluting" and warned that they are "invading our land."
He emphasized that the strength of rural America comes from its people, open spaces, local businesses, and connection to the land, not from large industrial footprints. Nelson, a longtime advocate for agricultural causes and co-founder of Farm Aid, expressed concern that data centers destroy the environment and steal farmland essential for food production, impacting small family farmers' livelihoods. He urged communities to actively resist these developments to protect vital resources, asserting that "Whoever controls food and water, controls the masses."