Resident urges data-driven approach as Cobb County plans data-center task force
Summary
Tracy Stevenson told the board that data centers can coexist with communities if properly sited and using modern technology; he urged the task force to use accurate data on water and power and offered to serve.
During public comment at the Sept. 8 meeting, Tracy Stevenson urged the board to approach data-center decisions with accurate technical information and to avoid hyperbolic arguments.
Stevenson said he was neither "pro or con" but advocated for "good data centers in good locations with good technology" and raised water use and power and cooling systems as primary concerns. He told commissioners that many data-center opponents rely on dated information and social-media misinformation and urged the county task force to consider closed-loop cooling and air-cooled systems and other technological mitigations.
“I am pro good data centers in good locations with good technology,” Stevenson said, adding that developers are addressing both water and power issues through design choices.
Commissioner Sheffield later reminded residents of a Sept. 12 community conversation on data centers at the Powder Springs Library. Stevenson offered his expertise to the county task force and asked that the board educate residents and base decisions on clear information.
Why it matters: Data centers can have large infrastructure footprints, and local policy must weigh water use, power needs and siting against economic development goals. The county's task force and community conversations will help shape local policy and siting decisions.
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