OPELIKA — U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Auburn) defended data centers on Monday amid ongoing backlash against the projects in parts of Alabama and across the United States.
Multiple local governments in Alabama have passed temporary moratoriums or increased regulations on data centers and similar projects in recent months. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, 15 states are considering data center bans.
However, Tuberville said during a speech to the Alabama Sheriffs Association in Opelika on Monday that data center projects were one way to grow Alabama.
"We are going to have neighborhoods that are safe. Every city. Every county. Every place in Alabama. We're going to stand behind you 100%. We've got to do it, folks. We can not let the animals run the zoo. You're out there fighting with a short stick at times," Tuberville said during the speech. "Needing more money, needing more availability for your jails, needing more help from Mental Health, needing things that are really going to help you every day to make your job a little easier, and, you know, to get politics out of it. We don't need it to be political. We need it to be family. We've got 67 counties. We've got 67 sheriffs, and we need to help every dang one of you, but we need to give you the resources to get that done."
He continued, "Everybody asks, 'How do you do that?' I've talked to several groups — I've talked to fire chiefs, police chiefs. Here's how you do it: we've got to grow our state, but one of the big things that's bringing in a lot of tax money across this country is these data centers, and everybody has heard about them, you know, 'Big Tech' and all that. You can forget about doing away with it because it's coming. Everybody says, 'Well, AI is going to do away with jobs." It's going to create jobs as well as do away with jobs, but you've got to have data centers."
"I think there's 27 states that have already said, 'Oh, we're not going to build data centers. We're not going to do that. It makes too much noise. It's going to ruin the climate.' Bull crap," Tuberville added. "I mean, they're listening to all this nonsense they see on social media that's coming from China because China does not want us to grow. The state of Alabama will grow. We're going to do data centers. It will help you tremendously. The tax money that comes from those things is unbelievable for schools, for law enforcement, for anything that's done. We're not the richest state in the country, but I'm telling you we're fixing to make a big move on it. I like winning championships. I like winning. I do not like losing, and we're not going to lose. A lot of that comes with being able to grow the state in the way that it needs to be grown to make sure that we're ahead of the times."
Tuberville, a Republican, is running against former U.S. Sen. Doug Jones, a Democrat, for governor in the November general election.
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email [email protected].
Don't miss out! Subscribe to our newsletter and get our top stories every weekday morning.
