Black and white Louisiana churches split over $250B Meta data center
Meta is building a $250 billion data center in Richland Parish, Louisiana, which is causing a significant divide among local churches and residents over its impact. While some praise the economic opportunities, others raise concerns about housing, environmental justice, and resource consumption. State and local leaders have fast-tracked permits and incentives for the project, despite community apprehension.
Meta is constructing a massive $250 billion data center, touted as the largest in the Western Hemisphere, in Richland Parish, Louisiana, a project that has sharply divided the community, particularly along racial and religious lines.
White evangelical Baptist churches in the area have lauded the project as a divine opportunity for jobs and community outreach, actively supporting the influx of over 7,000 construction workers. In stark contrast, historically Black congregations in towns like Rayville and Delhi view the development with skepticism, likening it to past power structures built on exploitation. Led by figures like Pastor Mark Sledge of Macedonia Baptist Church and Delhi Mayor Jesse Washington, they voice concerns about rising land prices, evictions of long-time residents, a lack of affordable housing, and the strain on local infrastructure.
The project's scale necessitates significant resource consumption, including three new gas-fired power plants and hundreds of thousands of gallons of water daily, expected to double New Orleans' energy usage. Public Service Commissioner Davante Lewis, the lone dissenter in the Louisiana Public Service Commission's approval of Meta's power plan, warns of increased emissions and utility bills. State leaders have facilitated the development by overhauling tax incentives and fast-tracking zoning and energy permits, leading to a rapid transformation of the parish that has outpaced existing planning.
This division underscores a broader cultural and religious dynamic in the South, where some scholars argue white evangelical culture has historically enabled tolerance of industrial development and pollution. The Meta data center boom is seen as a contemporary manifestation of this, testing whether AI-driven prosperity can coexist equitably with established communities and their way of life, as residents grapple with the immediate impact of escalating costs and displacement.