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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is not a red or a blue issue. This is not a democrat or republican issue, it\u2019s a red, white and blue issue. This is an American issue,\u201d Sanders said.<\/p>\n
Sanders said his primary concerns include the city\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis 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\u2019t really have a plan for this,\u201d Sanders said.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople 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\u2019ve done our job and our due diligence,\u201d Sanders said.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re not saying no forever, we\u2019re no for 18 months till we really figure out what\u2019s really going on with these things and who\u2019s benefiting with these, how\u2019s it going to affect the people. We want an independent study done, we want all the things done, so it\u2019s going to take time,\u201d Sanders said.<\/p>\n
The group also wants to give city council and the mayor time to consider a decision of this scale, Sanders said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re 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,\u201d Sanders said.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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