JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) – Residents filled Jackson City Hall on Monday night to voice opposition to data center development in the city, raising questions about the impact on homes, schools, the water system, power bills and other infrastructure.
Speakers took turns at the podium addressing city council members, calling for transparency, accountability and a greater public voice in decisions about data centers.
Residents call for moratorium, ban
One speaker said the council should ban the development and expansion of data centers and called for a temporary moratorium and a regulatory framework in the meantime.
“Ideally, the council would ban development expansion of data centers, but in lieu of that, a temporary moratorium and regulatory framework is vital,” the speaker said. “Of course I learned from Water For All, ‘AI is a luxury; clean water is survival.’ The future will be shaped by both, but only one is non-negotiable.”…