Community members across North Carolina have launched a petition calling on state legislators to stop the reckless expansion of data centers. Residents are demanding that the North Carolina General Assembly:
There are nearly 100 data centers in North Carolina, which advocates say contribute to higher utility bills, pollution and extreme water usage during a severe drought and cost-of-living crisis.
“Communities across North Carolina are facing the same problem,” said Trestan Smith, a community organizer in Fayetteville, in a press release. “Residents are being asked to accept higher utility bills and environmental impacts while corporations receive tax breaks and special treatment. Local communities have been fighting back and winning, but we also demand state leaders stop the reckless expansion of data centers.”
“Automation and AI are causing mass uncertainty amongst workers at Amazon, where everyday workers risk being laid off and being replaced by a machine,” said Elijah Wittmeyer Balthazar, a lab technician in Fayetteville, in a press release. “Protecting workers from automation is a major demand from labor. Corporations are investing billions into data centers and AI technology while underpaying and exploiting the workers who actually make the company run. The struggle for workers’ rights and against data centers is the same fight.”
Community members impacted by data center development will gather for a press conference in Fayetteville on July 1 at 5:30 p.m. at City Hall.
The petition can be found at nodatacentersnc.com.
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