DeKalb County officials have extended a moratorium on new data centers through September 30, as concerns over the potential impact of these facilities continue to grow. The decision was made during a recent meeting of the DeKalb County Board of Commissioners, where residents expressed worries about contaminated water supply, rising power bills, and property damage.

Community Concerns

Many residents feel that local governments have failed to adequately protect communities as technology companies invest billions of dollars in new data center projects. A recent video featuring U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez highlighted the experiences of residents from DeKalb County, Forest Park, Coweta County, Morgan County, and Newton County, who claim that data center development has damaged property and left them feeling ignored by both developers and elected officials.

In Newton County, resident Patricia Shepherd shared photos of crumbled ceilings that she says are due to blasts during construction of an Amazon Web Services data center. Similarly, in Forest Park, Pamela Felder showed lines of cracks in her walls and ceilings, and across the concrete of her porch, which she attributes to the construction of a nearby data center.

Legislative Response

Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez has introduced the Artificial Intelligence Data Center Moratorium Act, which would place a pause on the development of AI data centers while policymakers work on protections related to residents’ concerns across the U.S. The legislation aims to address the proliferation of data centers and the potential risks they pose to local communities.

As DeKalb county officials work to establish protections, cities such as Union City and Forest Park have already approved zoning for data centers over residents’ objections. The issue has sparked a wider debate about the role of local governments in regulating data center development and protecting the rights of residents.

Original reporting: SaportaReport — read the source article.