We are a unified coalition of local families, neighborhood homeowners, and passionate outdoor enthusiasts. From families who enjoy our quiet neighborhoods to the local hunters, fishermen, and boaters who rely on the pristine beauty of the Hiwassee River corridor, we are standing shoulder-to-shoulder to stop this reckless development. Our homes, our beloved natural recreational spaces, and the peace of the future generations who will inherit this county are simply not for sale.

The Threat to Our Community
Project River, an $11.3 billion heavy industrial energy campus, is attempting to exploit a city annexation loophole to force its way into Bradley County. To pull this off, the developer has split the application into a highly calculated, deceptive multi-part strategy. They are asking the City of Cleveland to annex a combined 1,235 acres of rural land located north of the actual city limits along the Hiwassee River.

The first phase is the 385-acre Trojan horse. The developer is fast-tracking a 385-acre annexation near Exit 33 by marketing it as an innocent, uncontroversial travel center filled with hotels, restaurants, and gas stations. In reality, this parcel is being used as a geographic stepping stone. Under Tennessee's non-contiguous boundary laws, the city cannot legally leap 7 miles out into the county. This 385-acre commercial zone is intentionally designed to close that 7-mile gap, establishing the continuous boundary the city needs to absorb the heavier industrial zone next door.
  
Once this 385-acre commercial bridge is approved, it will open the legal floodgates for the city to annex the main 850-acre industrial site. This second phase is where they intend to build the massive, unproven biomass power plant and the continuous-drone data center campus. By using the promise of hotels and restaurants to anchor the first phase of annexation, developers are trying to trick local leaders into approving a bridge that lets an $11.3 billion industrial powerhouse completely bypass the strict data center protections unanimously passed by the Bradley County Commission.

Why We Must Stop Project River
Developers are attempting to use city annexation as a legal shield to completely bypass the strict data center regulations that the Bradley County Commission unanimously passed earlier this year to protect local residents. If allowed to move forward, this project will permanently degrade our community through devastating environmental and logistical footprints.

Massive Co-Firing Methane Gas Power Plants: The developers intend to connect to the Enbridge-owned East Tennessee Methane Gas pipeline to fuel a 1,000-megawatt methane gas plant. This massive facility will require a staggering volume of fossil fuels annually, effectively locking Bradley County into massive fossil fuel pollution just to feed an on-site corporate data center.

Biochar Combustion and Fly Dust Pollution: While the developer claims the project is carbon-negative due to wood pyrolysis, public presentations reveal a dangerous twist: they intend to burn the residual biochar in their boilers to maximize power generation. Burning biochar completely defeats its purpose as a carbon sink. This process will release toxic fly dust, soot, and chemical particulates directly into our local airshed, settling on surrounding properties and poisoning local crops and soils.

Threats to Nearby Wilderness Refuges: The proposed site sits directly along the ecologically sensitive Hiwassee River corridor, just downriver from critical state and federal conservation zones, including the Hiwassee Refuge. The massive industrial footprint, chemical runoff, and heavy utility extraction directly threaten the vulnerable wetlands, bald eagle nesting grounds, and migratory sandhill crane populations that rely on this pristine river environment.

Severe Erosion and Siltation: Constructing a massive industrial campus across rolling rural acreage will strip topsoil and destroy natural root structures. Without native vegetation, rainstorms will trigger severe surface erosion, washing massive amounts of sediment, heavy industrial runoff, and pollutants straight into the Hiwassee River. This heavy siltation will choke out local fish populations and permanently damage our recreational boating and fishing waters.

An Unproven, Experimental Concept: The proposed 500-megawatt biomass facility is entirely experimental. There is not a single plant of this scale operating under this methodology anywhere in the United States. Cleveland must not be the guinea pig for a massive industrial science project.

Exploiting the Federal Roadless Rule Repeal: To feed the plant, developers intend to harvest 6 million tons of timber annually from a 250-mile radius. This creates a terrifying synergy with current federal actions: the U.S. Department of Agriculture has officially proposed to rescind the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule, threatening to strip protections from 85,000 acres of remote public land right here in the Cherokee National Forest. Scrapping this rule will open up East Tennessee's wildest backcountry to commercial logging and heavy bulldozers. Project River is perfectly positioned to devour these newly vulnerable forests, logging centuries-old ecosystems and choking our secondary roads with over 500 heavy log trucks a day. It takes 30 to 50 years for these forests to regrow, leaving our public lands permanently scarred just to power a private tech campus.

Severe Air Quality and Health Hazards: Burning fracked methane gas and biomass at a 1,500-megawatt scale will introduce massive volumes of dangerous sulfur oxide, nitrogen oxide (NOx), VOCs, and fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) into our airshed. Until the developers release comprehensive atmospheric dispersion modeling, the community fears these emissions could reach hazardous levels. Furthermore, public health science proves that fine particulate matter has no safe level of exposure and is linked directly to increased rates of asthma, heart disease, and strokes for families living downwind.

Severe 24/7 Noise Pollution: The cooling infrastructure for the massive data center complex generates a continuous, low-frequency drone of 70 to 80 decibels running 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, directly adjacent to established family neighborhoods.

Astronomical Infrastructure and Utility Costs: Because of the 7-mile geographic gap, extending city sewer lines, water mains, high-voltage power lines, and emergency services out to this isolated site will require an immense, multi-million-dollar capital outlay. Stretching our local utility grids thin across miles of unincorporated county land severely compromises utility pressure and service reliability for existing customers. Our local infrastructure should be maintained to serve the residents who built this community, not exploited and strained to subsidize a private developer’s heavy industrial energy project.

Our Strategy to Win: How You Can Take Action

An online signature is just the first step. We have the legal upper hand under Tennessee's non-contiguous boundary laws, but we must convert our digital numbers into overwhelming public pressure to force our elected leaders to act. This is a fight for our future, and every single voice counts. Here is how you can take immediate action to protect our county:

• Pack the Public Meetings: Show up en masse to every single City Planning Commission meeting and City Council meeting. Wear bright red shirts to send a clear, undeniable visual message to local officials and tracking news cameras that our community stands unified against this project.
• Flood Elected Officials' Inboxes and Phone Lines: Call and email our local city and county representatives daily. Demand that the City of Cleveland deny this annexation and respect the county-wide data center protections. We must firmly urge Bradley County Mayor D. Gary Davis and the County Commission to stand with their constituents and use every legal tool available to stop this project.
• Engage the Media: Contact local and regional news agencies to share our story. Submit letters to the editor, call into local radio programs, and tip off journalists about the deceptive multi-part annexation strategy being used to bypass local laws.
• Partner with Advocacy Groups: Reach out to regional environmental organizations, clean energy advocacy groups, and nationwide anti-data center networks. By aligning with established conservation and consumer-advocacy groups, we can amplify our reach, share resources, and bring broader technical scrutiny to this experimental project.
• Submit Certified Petitions: Help us download, print, and deliver certified signature data sheets directly to planning staff. We must guarantee that thousands of resident voices are physically included in the voting packets given to commissioners ahead of the crucial September 28th and 29th votes.
• Spread the Word Locally: Distribute flyers, secure yard signs, and talk to your neighbors. Educate our community on how the 385-acre travel center is actually a corporate stepping stone designed to bring heavy industry right next to our homes and the Hiwassee River.

We are calling on our leaders to preserve our quiet neighborhoods, protect our pristine waters, and defend the integrity of local zoning laws. Stand with us, take action today, and let them know our county is not for sale.

⚠️ Important Note Regarding Donations: Please be aware that if you choose to make a financial contribution after signing, any donations made on this platform go directly to Change.org to promote the petition across their network. None of these funds go to our grassroots campaign, coalition organizers, or the authors of this petition. If you want to support our local cause, the best way to do so right now is by sharing this link with neighbors, contacting your representatives, and showing up to the meetings!