Lawrenceburg data center sparks transparency, environmental concerns among residents

LAWRENCE COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) — New development in Lawrenceburg is raising questions.

Plans for a data center have some residents concerned about environmental impacts and transparency in the process.

While city leaders call it a step toward economic growth, others claim the community wasn’t fully informed before decisions were made.

“We are well prepared for growth; we want to make sure we’re growing thoughtfully,” Ryan Egly with the Lawrence County Chamber of Commerce said.

A roughly 50,000-square-foot data center is planned off Flatwoods Road.

The land was rezoned earlier this year.

Some residents said they just recently learned about it.

“I personally felt a little frustrated,” Lawrenceburg resident and business owner Elle McCann said.

Elle McCann started a change petition, demanding a public hearing and a vote on the upcoming data center.

“Will it affect residents’ health or finances? We don’t really know a lot, and I think that’s what concerns me the most is that it’s just going so quickly and so quietly through,” McCann said.

Across the country, data centers have raised concerns about energy use, water consumption and public health. For example, the Tennessee Valley Authority said demand has grown with data centers, and they are working to prevent increases in utility costs. The TVA recently decided to continue its coal operations to try to keep up.

But Egly said this project is different and beneficial, adding that the process was publicly noticed.

The Lawrenceburg City Council approved the rezoning request in January after a required public hearing and second reading. The action came to the council with a positive recommendation from the Lawrenceburg Planning Commission.

“As far as transparency goes, I do think we went above and beyond,” Egly said. “Very modest power user that requires no electrical investment from us or them for that matter. We have the power in the air today; they use a different coolant technology, which requires far less water.”

“If we can handle a data center and it’s not going to harm people, that should be shared,” McCann said.

Egly said that building permits could be issued within the next few weeks with construction potentially wrapping up early next summer.

McCann plans to bring the petition to the city council’s meeting on Thursday.