Community Voices Opposition to Data Mining Facility in College Station

Article By: Candace Obi, Student Intern | BCS Chronicle

What You Need To Know:

• Residents filled Cooper’s Old Time Pit BBQ on Monday, September 8th, to voice opposition to a proposed data mining facility in College Station, raising concerns about noise, energy use, and neighborhood disruption.

• Place 5 Councilman Dennis Yancy was in attendance and fielded questions from concerned residents.

• Residents emphasized that they were worried about the ability of the city’s power grid to handle the new load, as well as environmental concerns regarding the impact of the facility on the surrounding area.

• At the end of the town hall, Yancy emphasized that the decision did not have to be finalized Thursday and could be postponed to allow for further review.

• A vote will be held at the September 11th city council meeting to determine the fate of the facility.

Residents filled Cooper’s Old Time Pit BBQ on Monday, September 8th, to voice opposition to a proposed data mining facility in College Station, raising concerns about noise, energy use, and neighborhood disruption. The town hall, attended by Councilman Dennis Yancy, comes just days before the city council is set to vote on the project.

The meeting reflected backlash from community members who say the facility would threaten the neighborhood’s quality of life. Councilman Yancy (Place 5) said that Priority Power, the company behind the proposal, is Aggie-owned — something he said should provide a comfort level for the city — and that construction would bring a $30 million payment to fund capital projects and help alleviate taxes.

“We all know from our Bible that money is the root of all evil,” one resident said. She then proceeded to ask if the facility offered benefits beyond financial gain.

“No ma’am,” replied Yancy, drawing cheers from the crowd.

Among those at the town hall was Abraham Galvan, a local resident and psychologist, said that new technology should not come at an ecological cost. He said College Station is not equipped to handle the demands of a facility of this scale.

“If we take into account the 450 to 500 megawatts it’s going to be consuming each day, that comes out to roughly 4,000 megawatt hours with 33% of that energy lost as heat,” Galvan explained. “By my numbers, it’s going to use anywhere between eight to 11 million gallons to cool this thing.”

Galvan added that not all residents would feel the impact equally.

“Those who live closest are going to have super low water pressure. So they’re going to open their faucet, the drip is going to come out. They’re not going to get the water pressure they’re supposed to get.”

At one point, a resident asked whether the city planned to look at other towns with data mining centers to study their effects. Yancy said the city could bring in an independent consultant — at a cost of about $20,000 to $30,000 — to conduct environmental studies if needed.

Another resident questioned whether Priority Power CEO Brandon Schwertner is related to State Sen. Charles Schwertner of District 5, prompting snaps and hoots from the crowd.

“No,” Yancy replied quickly.

At the end of the town hall, Yancy emphasized that the decision did not have to be finalized Thursday and could be postponed to allow for further review. Meanwhile, a change.org petition created September 7th titled “Stop College Station Land Sale” has gained more than 5,000 signatures ahead of the September 11th vote happening at 7 p.m. in City Hall.