Opinion: Why I oppose the proposed data center in Lowndes County

Across Alabama's 7th Congressional District, communities are increasingly being asked to consider proposals for large-scale data centers, from Birmingham and Bessemer to Fairfield and Lowndes County. While residents of all these communities are raising important questions about what these projects will mean for their neighborhoods, infrastructure, and quality of life, their concerns seem to be falling on deaf ears.

At my recent town hall in Lowndes County, I heard directly from residents about the proposed $1.5 billion data center. Their concerns reinforced what has become increasingly clear: given the county's unique history, longstanding infrastructure challenges, and the unprecedented scale of the proposed development, this project demands far greater scrutiny than it has received.

I stand with the residents of Lowndes County in opposing the proposed data center because too many questions remain unanswered, the potential consequences are too significant to ignore, and the people who will live with those consequences deserve better answers than what they have received from the project’s proponents.

For generations, the people of Lowndes County have faced injustices and hardships that no American community should have to endure. Despite playing a pivotal role in shaping our nation’s history during the Civil Rights Movement, they have suffered from chronic underinvestment, strained infrastructure, and environmental injustice.

As a Member of Congress, I believe deeply in the promise of innovation. Artificial intelligence has the potential to transform health care, education, manufacturing, and countless other sectors of our economy. I want America to lead the world in AI. I want Alabama to compete for the industries of the future. And I want rural communities—including those in Alabama's Black Belt—to benefit from technological advancement. But innovation cannot come at the expense of the very people it is supposed to serve.

Over the past few months, residents have packed public meetings, signed petitions, and sought answers about this proposal. Their concerns are not rooted in fear of technology. They are asking a simple question: Who benefits, and who bears the costs? That question deserves an honest answer.

Across the country, communities are grappling with the rapid expansion of AI data centers. While these facilities promise investment and economic growth, they also require enormous amounts of electricity and water, generate significant noise, place new demands on public infrastructure and local watersheds, and can permanently alter surrounding communities. Experts have warned that the growth of data centers is outpacing the policies needed to protect local residents and natural resources.

For me, the most immediate concern is water. Lowndes County has spent generations fighting for something many Americans take for granted: safe and reliable wastewater infrastructure. Families have lived for decades with failing septic systems and improper sanitation because of racial discrimination, persistent disinvestment, and uniquely challenging soil conditions. I have worked tirelessly to secure millions of dollars in federal funding to help address these longstanding problems, and I am proud of the progress we have made. But anyone familiar with Lowndes County knows our work is far from finished.

I have serious concerns that a massive data center could further strain the county's already fragile water infrastructure. Before this project moves forward, residents deserve independent analysis of its water demands, its impact on groundwater, and its effect on existing infrastructure.

These concerns are not hypothetical, and we need not look far to see the potential for harm.

Just 12 miles away, in Hope Hull, Alabama, Meta’s data center—which is significantly smaller than the one being proposed in Lowndes County—has become the single largest user of water in the Montgomery water system, according to a local official.

In Newton County, Georgia—just a three-hour drive east—residents have reported contaminated drinking water, damage to home appliances, and reduced water pressure following the explosive blasting process used to construct a $750 million data center. Families have been forced to ship themselves bottled water to drink, prepare meals, and bathe, and their water bills are set to increase by 33 percent in the next two years.

These troubling conditions prompted a commitment by the Assistant Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to investigate how data center construction impacts local water quality. Lowndes County deserves that same careful scrutiny before decisions are made that cannot easily be reversed.

It is also impossible to ignore the racial and economic dimensions of this proposal.

Lowndes County is rich in Civil Rights history. Situated directly between Selma and Montgomery, the residents of this majority-Black county have made extraordinary contributions to our nation's ongoing struggle for racial equality. Yet, despite the heart, spirit, and fight of its people, Lowndes County has endured more than a century of economic neglect and remains among the poorest counties in Alabama and in the United States.

Too often, low-income Black and minority communities have been expected to shoulder the environmental and economic risks of major industrial projects while others reap the rewards. We cannot allow the AI economy to perpetuate this cycle of injustice.

It is particularly troubling that this development is being proposed in an unincorporated area of the county. Residents have every right to ask whether that location was chosen because it offers fewer layers of oversight and accountability.

This land also has a deep historical significance for many Black Alabamians, including my own family. Our ancestors were sharecroppers in Lowndes County. And like many Black families in rural Alabama, their history stretches back to land once worked by slaves who had no opportunity to own the property they cultivated.

For so many Lowndes County households, their land represents family history and generational sacrifice. Often, it is their greatest financial asset. If this project depresses nearby property values or fundamentally changes the character of these communities, families could suffer lasting financial harm. After generations spent building something to pass on, they should not be asked to gamble it away for promises that have yet to be proven.

Of course, every AI data center site should be evaluated based on its own circumstances. But every community that is being considered deserves transparency and accountability. Far too often, they are given neither.

For all these reasons, I recently proposed the AI Data Center Moratorium Act, legislation that would temporarily pause the construction and expansion of AI data centers until Congress establishes comprehensive safeguards addressing environmental, economic, labor, privacy, and community impacts. The goal is not to stop innovation but to ensure that public policy keeps pace with technological change and everyday people collectively share in the benefits of our new future.

Let me be perfectly clear: I support innovation. I support economic development. What I do not support is asking one of Alabama's most historically underserved communities to bear disproportionate risks without clear answers, meaningful public engagement, and strong, enforceable protections.

If this project truly promises opportunity for Lowndes County, then it should withstand rigorous environmental review, transparent public scrutiny, and independent analysis. If developers cannot demonstrate that the county's water infrastructure, public health, environment, and property owners will be protected, then this project should not move forward.

The residents of Lowndes County may not have the financial resources to take on a billion-dollar corporation, but that does not make them powerless. Since this project was proposed, we have seen ordinary people of different racial, political, and economic backgrounds come together to make their voices heard. They are asking thoughtful questions because they care about the future of their community. I stand with them.

As we build the economy of tomorrow, we must ensure that no community is left behind. Until the people of Lowndes County receive the answers, protections, and accountability they deserve, I join them in opposing the proposed data center.