A planned 500-acre data center project in Texarkana is causing an uproar among local residents.
TexAmericas Center, an industrial park in the region, announced “Project Big Pine” in April, and developer Potentia Development states that the project is meant to answer one question for residents: “When can the power turn on?”
Richie Grant, a 30-year resident of Texarkana, told Texas Scorecard a petition against the project has received 2,000 signatures.
“There were probably 50 people that showed up and 25 of them wanted to speak to it. And there was nobody in favor,” reported Grant, referencing a recent meeting in which representatives from TexAmericas relayed project plans to concerned locals. “Data centers are notoriously noisy, they’re bright … and people end up having mental health problems from them.”
Noise pollution is a common complaint regarding data centers. A sound level of 85 decibels is generally considered to be harmful, while 65 decibels can raise blood pressure and stress. At night, these noises can cause sleep deprivation and decrease cognitive performance. Data centers are known to put out as much as 96 decibels and are, at times, as close as 50 feet to a residential home.
Grant also reported concerns regarding the efficacy of the supposed “closed-loop” water system planned for the centers.
“Well, you have to charge a closed-loop system, right? And every so often you have to drain and have that filtered, and they send that water to your waste management, who cannot take all the toxic metals out of it. So they’ll send it back to them, and then it’ll get put back into the ground.”
Grant even cited animal infertility as a major concern, referencing the production of PFAS, so-called “forever chemicals,” by data centers, which, according to some ranchers, have contributed to the stillbirth of calves, among other problems.
“I believe in a lot of things that President Trump is behind,” says Grant, “but this has too much Big Brother capability … my husband’s been to [authoritarian] China and London, and been through all that, right? No, thanks. And we’re setting ourselves up for that.”
A public Texarkana city council meeting is set to take place on May 11. Residents are encouraged to attend and voice their opinions regarding the data center project.
