In October, the Bessemer City Council will vote on whether to re-zone forest land to allow what would be the nation's third-largest data center. The developers behind this project have been very secretive, giving the public virtually no information about the costs to their community, including the potential strain on vital natural resources and harm to their environment and quality of life from this proposed data center. These same developers have used non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) to prevent elected officials from discussing the details of the project, and they have attempted to rush through this process, ignoring feedback from local residents and conservation and environmental groups.

Data centers use huge amounts of water and electricity. This project would use an estimated 1200 MW of electricity, and approximately two million gallons of water daily, equivalent to more than 6,500 households. This represents an incredible increase in water and power consumption not only for Bessemer, but for all of Central Alabama.

This project also threatens a newly-discovered fish, the Birmingham darter. This tiny fish is so new to scientists that it has not even had a chance to be listed under the Endangered Species Act. Despite the fact it is only found in southwest Jefferson County, there are no legal protections for this fish yet.

The Bessemer City Council and this developer have rushed through this process, ignoring the overwhelming community opposition to this project, and have left dozens of important questions regarding the environmental impact of this project unanswered. 

We are urging the City Council to not rezone this area until the developer can provide concrete answers to the community’s many questions, and provide plans as to how the Birmingham darter, and Central Alabama’s natural resources, will be protected.

Click here to read more about Project Marvel + watch a short film about the proposed project and the people it will impact.

Click here to read more about data centers in general.