A growing fight over data centers reached a Lubbock, Texas, park over the weekend, where local residents gathered to demand a pause on new development they fear could strain water supplies, farmland, and the electric grid.
The protest also reflected a broader debate playing out across Texas and beyond: how communities should weigh the economic promise of AI infrastructure against its environmental and household costs.
What happened?
On Saturday evening, Citizens of Lubbock Against Data Centers gathered at Clapp Park for a protest tied to a national day of action, KCBD reported. The event also served as a signature drive for a proposed 18-month moratorium on new data center development in Lubbock.
Organizers described the rally as a community-focused event with free food and outreach, saying they were protesting in “the Lubbock way.” The group has until July 28 to collect 2,410 in-person signatures on its paper petition, KCBD reported…