Country music legend Willie Nelson has come out against the proliferation of ongoing and proposed data center construction.
In a posting on his social media pages, the 93-year-old singer/songwriter slammed a proposal to build a data center near high longtime home in Abbott, Texas, while adding that the proliferation of these facilities could negatively impact rural regions across the nation.
“I grew up in Abbott, and I still have a home there with farmed land where I can still see stars at night,” Nelson wrote. “And now our community, like many others, needs to fight against data centers invading our land. The last thing we need is a loud, water thieving, light polluting, data center anywhere near our town (or any others for that matter).”
Nelson continued, “The strength of rural America has never come from big industrial footprints. It comes from generations of people, open spaces, local businesses, and a connection to the land. All of America deserves thoughtful stewardship that doesn’t steal farmland (where our essential shared-food is grown) and small family farmers’ livelihoods, and not data centers that only destroy the environment around them. Whoever controls food and water, controls the masses. Let’s not allow our own demise or give up control over necessary resources in the U.S. and especially in Abbott.”
Data centers have become a controversial issue in Texas, with many communities fighting to block their construction. Last month, Gov. Greg Abbott sent a letter to the heads of the Public Utility Commission and the Electric Reliability Council of Texas directing their agencies to ensure data center expansion did not drive up residential electric bills.
Photo courtesy of Willie Nelson’s Instagram page
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