BAN all AI Grid Structures in White County, Tennessee
The Issue
Dear White County Neighbors,
White County is the place we chose to live, the place our families have stayed for generations, and the place we hope to leave better than we found it. Right now, that way of life is at risk.
WHAT HAPPENED
On April 27, 2026, White County Executive Denny Wayne Robinson announced at the GOP meeting that he is working on 2-3 AI Factory deals but that he could not disclose the details until the deals are done.
Since then, a working committee has been created to address this problem. We have approached the White County Commissioners twice - May 4 & June 1 - about their commitment to make it difficult for any AI grid structure to enter our county. Robert McCormick said that he would not commit. Other commissioners agreed that they would take this concern to the county lawyer.
White County has no zoning and no data center ordinance. Therefore, THE RESIDENTS OF WHITE COUNTY DEMAND A BAN ON ALL AI STRUCTURES CONNECTED TO THE GRID.
WHAT IS A DATA CENTER, AND WHY SHOULD YOU CARE?
A data center is a building — sometimes the size of multiple Walmart stores combined — packed wall to wall with computers running 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. They store and process the digital information that runs nearly every part of modern life: email, banking, navigation, streaming, social media, and now artificial intelligence (AI). AI Data structures include AI Data Centers, AI Factories, Bitcoin or Cryptocurrency Mining, and Flock cameras because they all rely on AI to operate.
A single hyperscale data center uses up to 5 million gallons of water per day, runs 50 to 100+ megawatts of electricity continuously, operates diesel generators at jet-engine noise levels, releases diesel exhaust and air pollution around the clock, and creates very few permanent jobs. One hyperscale data center can use the daily water consumption of 50,000 people. Its electricity demand could power 50,000 to 100,000 homes.
Our utility bills are expected to dramatically increase, our property values will drastically decrease. Wildlife is negatively affected by the noise and frequencies these structures emit.
These facilities also store and process personal data on every American — searches, locations, purchases, conversations — and without local regulation, communities that host them have no say in what operators can do with that information or with our privacy.
Overall for those not profiting from these structures, there is a negative net impact.
WATER — THE FULL PICTURE
There are three types of data center cooling systems and none of them are clean:
- Evaporative cooling: water is consumed and lost as steam — 1 to 5 million gallons per day, gone permanently
- Once-through cooling: water is discharged back into waterways at much higher temperatures, harming aquatic life
- Closed-loop cooling: water recirculates but is treated with biocides, phosphates, and corrosion chemicals; when flushed or discharged, those chemicals enter local waterways
White County's waterways, watersheds, and water supply deserve full protection regardless of which cooling system is used.
THIS IS NOT ABOUT BEING ANTI-TECHNOLOGY. This is about securing what is right for our home and our future.
THE BIGGER PICTURE — NATIONAL SECURITY ARGUMENT
The United States already has roughly 4,000 data centers — about ten times more than China's approximately 368. If quantity alone determined AI dominance the race would already be over.
The federal government has designated AI data centers as critical national security infrastructure and is fast-tracking permits while bypassing environmental review to build more faster. However, court cases have already won because in the name of national security, no parts may be made from China. Guaranteed, there is always something made in China to build these structures. Therefore, none of these structures, including Flock cameras, can be considered secure according to our own standards.
Sources: Programs.com (March 2026) — US vs China data center count | Executive Order 14318, whitehouse.gov (July 23, 2025) — federal permitting and national security designation
HOW WE PROTECT OURSELVES — THE COUNTY POWERS ACT
White County adopted the Tennessee County Powers Act on 22 June, 2020. The County Powers Act is a uniform county-wide regulation that treats all unincorporated land the same way. It is not zoning — it is a nuisance protection. This means that our county has a legal tool to regulate data centers.
Tennessee Code § 5-1-118, the County Powers Act, allows counties without zoning to regulate industrial activity. Each specific regulation passed under it requires a two-thirds vote. Other Tennessee counties have already used it. This is how they have been able to legally ban all AI structures.
Therefore, we have a strong, legally defensible option: A county-wide ban on data centers — applied uniformly across all unincorporated areas, treating all land the same.
This approach holds up in court. It protects White County's shared resources — water, air, roads, and quiet — without restricting what you can do on your own land.
IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT CITY LIMITS
The County Powers Act applies only to unincorporated areas of the county. To fully protect White County, we will also need the City of Sparta and the City of Doyle to pass parallel ordinances. That is a second front and it does not change the urgency of acting on the county level first.
GET INVOLVED — SIGN THIS PETITION, SHOW UP, SPEAK UP
The working group created to prohibit the AI grid from building in White County will continue to speak against this grid until it is banned in perpetuity in White County. However, the White County Commission will only respond to its constituents if enough people push back. Our Commissioners have a track record of not voting on that which is Constitutionally and morally right.
If you are against the building of the AI grid in White County, PLEASE SIGN THIS PETITION - WHITE COUNTY RESIDENTS ONLY - and continue to show your support by attending these meetings, too. All meetings are held in the White County Courthouse, 1 E. Bockman Way, Sparta, Tennessee, 3rd floor courtroom.
1st Mondays, 5 pm - White County Commission Subcommittees
3rd Mondays, 6 pm, White County Commission Full Court
We suggest arriving 30 minutes early since they have a history of starting public comments before the official meeting time starts. Keep in mind that each speaker has 3 minutes to speak.
REMEMBER: A full room sends a louder message than any single speech.
PLEASE DO NOT DONATE! THE MONEY GOES TO CHANGE.ORG ONLY. YOU CAN STILL SIGN THE PETITION WITHOUT DONATING.
510
The Issue
Dear White County Neighbors,
White County is the place we chose to live, the place our families have stayed for generations, and the place we hope to leave better than we found it. Right now, that way of life is at risk.
WHAT HAPPENED
On April 27, 2026, White County Executive Denny Wayne Robinson announced at the GOP meeting that he is working on 2-3 AI Factory deals but that he could not disclose the details until the deals are done.
Since then, a working committee has been created to address this problem. We have approached the White County Commissioners twice - May 4 & June 1 - about their commitment to make it difficult for any AI grid structure to enter our county. Robert McCormick said that he would not commit. Other commissioners agreed that they would take this concern to the county lawyer.
White County has no zoning and no data center ordinance. Therefore, THE RESIDENTS OF WHITE COUNTY DEMAND A BAN ON ALL AI STRUCTURES CONNECTED TO THE GRID.
WHAT IS A DATA CENTER, AND WHY SHOULD YOU CARE?
A data center is a building — sometimes the size of multiple Walmart stores combined — packed wall to wall with computers running 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. They store and process the digital information that runs nearly every part of modern life: email, banking, navigation, streaming, social media, and now artificial intelligence (AI). AI Data structures include AI Data Centers, AI Factories, Bitcoin or Cryptocurrency Mining, and Flock cameras because they all rely on AI to operate.
A single hyperscale data center uses up to 5 million gallons of water per day, runs 50 to 100+ megawatts of electricity continuously, operates diesel generators at jet-engine noise levels, releases diesel exhaust and air pollution around the clock, and creates very few permanent jobs. One hyperscale data center can use the daily water consumption of 50,000 people. Its electricity demand could power 50,000 to 100,000 homes.
Our utility bills are expected to dramatically increase, our property values will drastically decrease. Wildlife is negatively affected by the noise and frequencies these structures emit.
These facilities also store and process personal data on every American — searches, locations, purchases, conversations — and without local regulation, communities that host them have no say in what operators can do with that information or with our privacy.
Overall for those not profiting from these structures, there is a negative net impact.
WATER — THE FULL PICTURE
There are three types of data center cooling systems and none of them are clean:
- Evaporative cooling: water is consumed and lost as steam — 1 to 5 million gallons per day, gone permanently
- Once-through cooling: water is discharged back into waterways at much higher temperatures, harming aquatic life
- Closed-loop cooling: water recirculates but is treated with biocides, phosphates, and corrosion chemicals; when flushed or discharged, those chemicals enter local waterways
White County's waterways, watersheds, and water supply deserve full protection regardless of which cooling system is used.
THIS IS NOT ABOUT BEING ANTI-TECHNOLOGY. This is about securing what is right for our home and our future.
THE BIGGER PICTURE — NATIONAL SECURITY ARGUMENT
The United States already has roughly 4,000 data centers — about ten times more than China's approximately 368. If quantity alone determined AI dominance the race would already be over.
The federal government has designated AI data centers as critical national security infrastructure and is fast-tracking permits while bypassing environmental review to build more faster. However, court cases have already won because in the name of national security, no parts may be made from China. Guaranteed, there is always something made in China to build these structures. Therefore, none of these structures, including Flock cameras, can be considered secure according to our own standards.
Sources: Programs.com (March 2026) — US vs China data center count | Executive Order 14318, whitehouse.gov (July 23, 2025) — federal permitting and national security designation
HOW WE PROTECT OURSELVES — THE COUNTY POWERS ACT
White County adopted the Tennessee County Powers Act on 22 June, 2020. The County Powers Act is a uniform county-wide regulation that treats all unincorporated land the same way. It is not zoning — it is a nuisance protection. This means that our county has a legal tool to regulate data centers.
Tennessee Code § 5-1-118, the County Powers Act, allows counties without zoning to regulate industrial activity. Each specific regulation passed under it requires a two-thirds vote. Other Tennessee counties have already used it. This is how they have been able to legally ban all AI structures.
Therefore, we have a strong, legally defensible option: A county-wide ban on data centers — applied uniformly across all unincorporated areas, treating all land the same.
This approach holds up in court. It protects White County's shared resources — water, air, roads, and quiet — without restricting what you can do on your own land.
IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT CITY LIMITS
The County Powers Act applies only to unincorporated areas of the county. To fully protect White County, we will also need the City of Sparta and the City of Doyle to pass parallel ordinances. That is a second front and it does not change the urgency of acting on the county level first.
GET INVOLVED — SIGN THIS PETITION, SHOW UP, SPEAK UP
The working group created to prohibit the AI grid from building in White County will continue to speak against this grid until it is banned in perpetuity in White County. However, the White County Commission will only respond to its constituents if enough people push back. Our Commissioners have a track record of not voting on that which is Constitutionally and morally right.
If you are against the building of the AI grid in White County, PLEASE SIGN THIS PETITION - WHITE COUNTY RESIDENTS ONLY - and continue to show your support by attending these meetings, too. All meetings are held in the White County Courthouse, 1 E. Bockman Way, Sparta, Tennessee, 3rd floor courtroom.
1st Mondays, 5 pm - White County Commission Subcommittees
3rd Mondays, 6 pm, White County Commission Full Court
We suggest arriving 30 minutes early since they have a history of starting public comments before the official meeting time starts. Keep in mind that each speaker has 3 minutes to speak.
REMEMBER: A full room sends a louder message than any single speech.
PLEASE DO NOT DONATE! THE MONEY GOES TO CHANGE.ORG ONLY. YOU CAN STILL SIGN THE PETITION WITHOUT DONATING.
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Petition created on June 11, 2026