(The Center Square) – A town hall event planned by a Shreveport City Council candidate is described by the organizer as “the truth” about the cost and impact of data center projects by the opposing viewpoint.
Candidate and event organizer Derrick Henderson is challenging incumbent Ursula Bowman in District G for a seat on the City Council in November.
Amazon Web Services and STACK Infrastructure won city approval to construct a campus in Bowman’s district at Resilient Technology Park in southwest Shreveport. That project remains stalled because of legal challenges supported by the Sierra Club Delta Chapter.
Construction of two additional campuses in rural Caddo and Bossier parishes is underway.
Henderson’s event features three panelists who’ve previously expressed opposition to data centers and one who says he is neutral.
The event is slated for 6 p.m. on Aug. 6 at Greenwood Acres Full Gospel Church West on Greenwood Road. Its official name is “The Truth About Data Centers Town Hall.”
Henderson’s press release said the event is designed to provide factual information and encourage open discussion about the growing presence of data centers and their potential impact on local communities.
“It’s the first town hall organized by citizens for the citizens,” Henderson told The Center Square. “Good, bad or indifferent, people realize that data centers are part of the age we live in. However, you don’t want it shoved down your throat.”
The panelists are KD Minor with the Alliance for Affordable Energy; Abby Whittington, an organizer of No Data Centers 318, a group opposing data centers in northwest Louisiana; Dr. Nathaniel Manning, listed as a socioeconomics activist whose public record expresses opposition; and Donald Hobdy, a municipal water usage consultant and former longtime Shreveport city employee.
The Alliance for Affordable Energy opposes the un-regulated, rapid buildout of large data centers due to concerns over high electricity costs for regular families, increased reliance on fossil fuels, and strained grid reliability, according to the group’s website.
Henderson said Minor played a role to help develop the New Orleans City Council’s moratorium to halt new data center construction.
Henderson believes local residents have not received all the relevant facts at previous public hearings with proponents.
This event is “a conversation from the other side” of the debate, he said.
“They did a disservice to the public because there was no due process,” he said. “They knew that it would be controversial and the people would not be for it, so that’s why they signed NDAs.”
Meanwhile, Hobdy told The Center Square, “I will speak facts as I see them. I am gathering facts about data centers, and not taking a position for or against.”
Hobdy said his research will be gathered from reputable sources and non-partisan organizations, with a focus on the city’s capacity to provide additional water for the large-scale tech campus.
Time will be provided for questions and public statements. Questions can be submitted in advance to Henderson at DforDistrictG@gmail.com.
