Jones: Alabama Needs “Immediate Moratorium” on Data Centers

ALPolitics.com reached out to Democratic gubernatorial candidate Doug Jones for a formal statement on data centers, in light of Republican Tommy Tuberville’s recent comments in support of them.

Jones replied with the following:

“To say this opposition is coming from China is one of the most ridiculous things Tommy Tuberville has ever said, and that's a high bar. The people raising these concerns aren't foreign agents. They're Alabama families who found out about massive projects in their own communities after decisions had already been made. Instead of listening to them, Tuberville insults them.

“Alabama is not a dumping ground for every data center looking for a rubber stamp. People deserve transparency before deals are cut, not after construction starts. This is about the health, safety, and quality of life of the families who live there.

“That's why we need an immediate moratorium until Alabama has a real statewide plan. I'd ban non-disclosure agreements between developers and local governments, and require every approved project to have an independently funded community advisory board with the resources to hold these companies accountable.”

Jones’ statement is in stark contrast to Tuberville’s statements earlier this week.

Speaking Monday at the Alabama Sheriffs Association summer conference in Opelika, Tuberville dismissed concerns raised by residents about the environmental, infrastructure and quality-of-life impacts of large-scale data centers.

"I think there are 27 states that said we aren't going to build data centers—we're not going to do that. It makes too much noise. It's going to ruin the climate—bull crap. They are listening to all this nonsense they see on social media that's coming from China because China does not want us to grow," Tuberville said.

Tuberville said Alabama intends to continue attracting the facilities despite growing resistance in communities across the state.

"We're going to do data centers. It will help you tremendously. The tax money that comes from those things is unbelievable for schools, for law enforcement, for anything that's done," he said.

While supporters frequently promote data centers as major economic development projects, critics have increasingly questioned whether the generous tax incentives offered by States and local governments produce a meaningful return on investment. Recent analyses have found that modern AI data centers often require billions of dollars in incentives while creating relatively few permanent jobs once construction is complete. One recent review concluded that the long-term employment generated by many data centers falls well short of the public subsidies they receive, raising questions about whether taxpayers receive adequate value for those incentives.

The comments come as opposition to data centers continues to grow in Alabama and around the country. Residents have raised concerns about water consumption, electric power demand, noise, diesel backup generators, land use, pollution, health concerns and the lack of public transparency surrounding many proposed projects. Several Alabama communities have adopted temporary moratoriums or additional regulations while local governments weigh those concerns.