Please Only Sign if You Are a Resident of Alma or Bacon County

Protect Bacon County’s Rural Character, Resources, and Future

Bacon County citizens deserve a voice in determining the future of our community.

This petition sends a clear message to elected officials, the Bacon County Development Authority, developers, utilities, and corporate interests:

Bacon County wants NO data centers and NO infrastructure constructed, expanded, financed, incentivized, or otherwise intended to support them.

For purposes of this petition, “data center” includes ANY facility, campus, operation, or development primarily or partially used for digital storage, cloud computing, artificial intelligence, server operations, data processing, data transmission, cryptocurrency mining, industrial-scale computing, or related technology operations, regardless of how the project is labeled, marketed, or classified.

This includes, but is not limited to:

Data centers of any size or designation
Artificial intelligence facilities
Cloud-computing operations
Server farms and colocation facilities
Edge-computing and digital infrastructure facilities
Technology campuses or innovation parks
Industrial-scale computing or digital processing facilities
Any similar operation regardless of terminology or marketing language used
Data centers are not standalone projects. They often require major supporting infrastructure and can trigger broader industrial expansion that permanently changes rural communities.

This petition opposes:

ALL data centers and industrial-scale computing facilities, regardless of size, label, or ownership structure
NO new or expanded cryptocurrency or bitcoin mining operations associated with industrial-scale computing infrastructure

Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) constructed, expanded, upgraded, repurposed, or materially intended to support present or future data center or industrial-scale computing operations
New or expanded substations, switching stations, transmission infrastructure, utility upgrades, or electrical facilities wholly or partially intended, anticipated, marketed, or reasonably foreseeable to support present or future data center operations

Industrial-scale power generation, energy projects, or utility expansion serving or facilitating data center demand.

Industrial water infrastructure, groundwater withdrawal, wells, pipelines, reservoirs, cooling systems, or related facilities supporting industrial computing operations.

Associated industrial facilities, speculative developments, or phased projects whose purpose includes supporting or facilitating present or future data center development Permanent, temporary, modular, phased, incremental, or related development designed to accommodate or facilitate future data center construction

Industrial parks, technology parks, business campuses, innovation districts, or speculative developments designed, marketed, or positioned for digital infrastructure, high-load computing, or future data-center recruitment
Rezoning, land-use amendments, comprehensive plan changes, overlay districts, or reclassification of agricultural or rural land intended to accommodate or facilitate data-center-related development

This opposition includes projects directly or indirectly approved, recruited, solicited, negotiated, financed, bonded, subsidized, incentivized, facilitated, or otherwise supported by Bacon County government, the Bacon County Development Authority, utilities, public-private partnerships, regional entities, or private developers acting independently or in coordination with local government.

This includes projects pursued through:

Confidential negotiations

Non-disclosure agreements (NDAs)Prospect recruitment
Site-selection processes
Economic-development recruitment efforts
Industrial recruitment programs
Tax incentives, abatements, or PILOT agreements
Industrial revenue bonds
Infrastructure grants or public subsidies
Utility discounts or cost-sharing arrangements
Any public financial assistance or special treatment designed to facilitate data-center-related development.

Citizens across the country have raised serious concerns about data center development because of potential impacts such as:

Massive electricity demand
Heavy water usage and cooling requirements that can place significant strain on local water supplies and groundwater resources

Industrialization of rural landscapes
Noise, lighting, and visual impacts

Pressure on infrastructure and natural resources, including increased competition for water needed by homes, farms, and local businesses

Limited permanent jobs compared to long-term land and infrastructure impacts

Outside corporate influence over local development decisions

The likelihood of additional industrial expansion once supporting infrastructure is established

Bacon County is rooted in agriculture, family land, faith, and rural values. Once industrial infrastructure expands, the effects can be difficult or impossible to reverse. Concerns about water use are especially important in a rural community where dependable access to clean water supports agriculture, households, and future generations.

This petition is not against responsible local growth or small business development.

It is about local control, transparency, and protecting Bacon County from future data center development and the industrial infrastructure that follows it.

We believe:

✔ Citizens deserve meaningful input before decisions are made
✔ Government should act with full transparency
✔ Rural communities should not be transformed without clear public support
✔ Bacon County’s future belongs to its people

Signers of this petition call upon Bacon County officials and the Bacon County Development Authority to refrain from approving, recruiting, facilitating, incentivizing, negotiating, or otherwise advancing data-center-related development absent clear and informed public support.

Our Message Is Clear:

NO DATA CENTERS.

NO NEW OR EXPANDED BITCOIN MINING.

NO BESS OR INDUSTRIAL INFRASTRUCTURE CONSTRUCTED, EXPANDED, FINANCED, INCENTIVIZED, OR OTHERWISE INTENDED TO SUPPORT THEM.

PROTECT BACON COUNTY BEFORE DECISIONS ARE MADE FOR US.

Sign and share if you believe Bacon County should remain guided by its citizens, protected for future generations, and led with transparency and local control.

— Shea Sasser Hutchinson
Community Advocate | Bacon County Citizen

 

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