LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) – A Lubbock resident opposed to hyperscale data centers in the city said the community needs more time before any development moves forward.
Stephen Sanders, who founded Citizens of Lubbock Against Data Centers, said his group is collecting signatures by July 28 to put a pause on data center development in Lubbock. Sanders created the group after a conversation about the facilities took place on the Texas Tech campus in May.
“This is not a red or a blue issue. This is not a democrat or republican issue, it’s a red, white and blue issue. This is an American issue,” Sanders said.
Sanders said his primary concerns include the city’s electricity supply and local water resources. He said he does not believe the city has an adequate plan in place to address the impact of a hyperscale data center within city limits.
“This is not just one community, this is not just one side of town, this is everybody. This is our water, the contamination, all the different things that are going to happen. They don’t really have a plan for this,” Sanders said.
Sanders acknowledged that some in the community, including Texas Tech Chancellor Brandon Creighton, support data center development as part of the artificial intelligence race. He said he does not believe that growth is necessary in Lubbock.
“People are gonna say well we need data centers because we need to keep up and stay ahead on the AI boom and this China thing, but we have more data centers in Texas than China has all together, so I think we’ve done our job and our due diligence,” Sanders said.
Sanders said the group is not opposed to technology, progress, or economic development. He said the goal is to ensure the city has plans in place before moving forward.
“We’re not saying no forever, we’re no for 18 months till we really figure out what’s really going on with these things and who’s benefiting with these, how’s it going to affect the people. We want an independent study done, we want all the things done, so it’s going to take time,” Sanders said.
The group also wants to give city council and the mayor time to consider a decision of this scale, Sanders said.
“We’re really doing this to give city council and the mayor some time to think about this, to make sure they have the adequate time to make a decision of this magnitude,” Sanders said.
Citizens of Lubbock Against Data Centers will hold a public meeting at 6 p.m. on Wednesday at the YWCA at 66th St. and University Ave.
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