#Datacenter builders thought #farmers would willingly sell land, learn otherwise

Even in a fragile farm economy, million-dollar offers can’t sway dedicated farmers.

Ashley Belanger – Feb 23, 2026

Excerpt: "For 'Silicon Valley executives,' rural areas are likely attractive due to 'weak zoning protections, cheap power, and abundant water,' The Guardian reported.

"It likely doesn’t help to sell the farmers these deals when they tend to come out of nowhere, following a knock on the door from a middleman who doesn’t make it clear who wants to buy the land or how the land would be used.

"One 82-year-old Kentucky woman, Ida Huddleston, turned away a 'Fortune 500 company' offering $33 million for 650 acres. NBC News reported that several of her neighbors received similar offers. Huddleston joined at least five other residents in the county who refused to move forward after learning they’d have to sign a non-disclosure agreement just to find out who they would be dealing with. Ultimately, Huddleston had to search public records to figure out that a data center was even being planned in the area, The Guardian reported. The #LackOfTransparency is a problem, farmers have said, because what buyers want to do with the land matters.

" 'You don’t have enough to buy me out,' Huddleston told the company representatives when rejecting the deal. 'I’m not for sale. Leave me alone, I’m satisfied.' "

Read more:
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/02/im-not-for-sale-farmers-refuse-to-take-millions-in-data-center-deals/

Archived version:
https://archive.ph/DB229

#Datacenters #LandIsLife #NoDatacentersOnFarms #NoAI
#AISucks #NoWaterForAI
#NoNukesForAI #SendTechBrosToMars #NoMoreDatacenters #WaterIsLife #USPol

#Alberta Municipality Declares #FarmDisaster Due to #Drought, Approves Water-Guzzling #Data CentrePlan

Jody MacPherson, July 31, 2025

"An Alberta municipality that declared an agricultural disaster earlier this month due to drought is moving forward with plans to host the 'largest #AI computer data centre on Earth,' which could drain millions of litres of water every day from the watershed.

"The watershed is located in #Treaty8 territory and across the #MétisNation of #Alberta Regions 4, 5, and 6. Almost 175,000 people live along the 1,900 kilometers of rivers that flow north into the #NorthwestTerritories. The nearest #FirstNation to the project, #SturgeonLakeCreeNation, wrote an open 'cease and desist' letter to Alberta’s premier saying it learned of the project through the media.

"In response to emailed questions from The Energy Mix, the Municipal District of #Greenview said its approach on the $70-billion #WonderValley data centre project proposed by #CelebrityInvestor #KevinOLeary had not changed despite the unfolding disaster devastating livestock producers in the region.

" 'Every project in the Greenview Industrial Gateway, including Wonder Valley, must go through rigorous environmental and regulatory reviews, including water use approvals managed by the province,' according to an email statement from the municipality. 'Council continues to monitor drought impacts, and any decisions on industrial water use will balance environmental responsibility with economic opportunity.' [I CALL BULLSHIT!]

"Greenview declared the agricultural disaster due to the ongoing drought, aggravated by a #grasshopper invasion. 'We urge all levels of government and the public to understand the gravity of the situation and to support the #agricultural community through this difficult time,' the community said in a media release.
Our producers are the backbone of not only our local economy, but also Alberta’s and #Canada’s, and they need our full support now more than ever.' "

https://www.theenergymix.com/alberta-municipality-declares-farm-disaster-due-to-drought-approves-water-guzzling-data-centre-plan/

#WaterIsLife #AlbertaDrought #NoWaterForAI #AISucks #FarmingDisaster #FoodIsLife #DataCenters #CanPol #FirstNations

#Datacenter builders thought #farmers would willingly sell land, learn otherwise

Even in a fragile farm economy, million-dollar offers can’t sway dedicated farmers.

Ashley Belanger – Feb 23, 2026

Excerpt: "For 'Silicon Valley executives,' rural areas are likely attractive due to 'weak zoning protections, cheap power, and abundant water,' The Guardian reported.

"It likely doesn’t help to sell the farmers these deals when they tend to come out of nowhere, following a knock on the door from a middleman who doesn’t make it clear who wants to buy the land or how the land would be used.

"One 82-year-old Kentucky woman, Ida Huddleston, turned away a 'Fortune 500 company' offering $33 million for 650 acres. NBC News reported that several of her neighbors received similar offers. Huddleston joined at least five other residents in the county who refused to move forward after learning they’d have to sign a non-disclosure agreement just to find out who they would be dealing with. Ultimately, Huddleston had to search public records to figure out that a data center was even being planned in the area, The Guardian reported. The #LackOfTransparency is a problem, farmers have said, because what buyers want to do with the land matters.

" 'You don’t have enough to buy me out,' Huddleston told the company representatives when rejecting the deal. 'I’m not for sale. Leave me alone, I’m satisfied.' "

Read more:
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/02/im-not-for-sale-farmers-refuse-to-take-millions-in-data-center-deals/

Archived version:
https://archive.ph/DB229

#Datacenters #LandIsLife #NoDatacentersOnFarms #NoAI
#AISucks #NoWaterForAI
#NoNukesForAI #SendTechBrosToMars #NoMoreDatacenters #WaterIsLife #USPol

Not just water and power, but apparently ALL OF THE COMPUTER CHIPS!

The #DataLords Are Taxing Our Water and Power to Build Their Castles | Common Dreams

https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/data-lords-water-power

#NoAI #AISucks #NoWaterForAI #NoNukesForAI #SendTechBrosToMars

Not just water and power, but apparently ALL OF THE COMPUTER CHIPS!

The #DataLords Are Taxing Our Water and Power to Build Their Castles | Common Dreams

https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/data-lords-water-power

#NoAI #AISucks #NoWaterForAI #NoNukesForAI #SendTechBrosToMars

More reasons to say "No!" to #SpaceX and #Starlink (and other unnecessary satellites!).

SpaceX rocket fireball linked to plume of polluting lithium

Georgina Rannard, Science reporter, February 19, 2025

Excerpts: "When a SpaceX rocket failure set the skies aflame over western Europe last February, no-one was sure if the debris was also polluting our #atmosphere.

"Now scientists are directly linking the uncontrolled rocket re-entry to a plume of #lithium measured less than 100km above Earth.

"It is the first time researchers have drawn a direct link between a known piece of #SpaceDebris crashing to Earth and #pollution levels.

They warn that as SpaceX chief #ElonMusk pledges to launch one million satellites in the coming years, this #contamination could be the tip of the iceberg."

[...]

"Earlier research has suggested that 10% of aerosols in the atmosphere are already contaminated by space debris.

"SpaceX has not responded to emailed requests from BBC News for comment. The researchers also sent their findings to the company but did not receive a response.

"Almost 30,000 pieces of debris are calculated to be free-floating in space, created when rockets break up in space or satellites disintegrate.

"Scientists warn that the debris is congesting space and threatens collision with rockets, the International Space Station, and our planet.

"Musk's SpaceX is the world's leading company for rocket launches including for sending humans into space and maintaining a network of 10,000 Starlink internet satellites.

"Musk recently announced he has applied to launch one million satellites to support #ArtificialIntelligence ( #AI) data centres in space.

"Scientists warn that as humans move more activities off-Earth, more debris will fall to Earth, polluting as it plummets."

Read more:
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cpd8z4eqlxno

#LithiumPollution #AtmosphericPollution #NoAIInSpace #NoDatacentersInSpace #LEO #KesslerEffect #SpaceJunk #DarkSkies #LowerEarthOrbit #LEO #AIBullshitMachines #TechBros #xAI #Technopoly #SpacePollution
#AISucks #DataCenters #SkyNet #KesslerSyndrome #USPol #WorldPol #SpaceNews

More reasons to say "No!" to #SpaceX and #Starlink (and other unnecessary satellites!).

SpaceX rocket fireball linked to plume of polluting lithium

Georgina Rannard, Science reporter, February 19, 2025

Excerpts: "When a SpaceX rocket failure set the skies aflame over western Europe last February, no-one was sure if the debris was also polluting our #atmosphere.

"Now scientists are directly linking the uncontrolled rocket re-entry to a plume of #lithium measured less than 100km above Earth.

"It is the first time researchers have drawn a direct link between a known piece of #SpaceDebris crashing to Earth and #pollution levels.

They warn that as SpaceX chief #ElonMusk pledges to launch one million satellites in the coming years, this #contamination could be the tip of the iceberg."

[...]

"Earlier research has suggested that 10% of aerosols in the atmosphere are already contaminated by space debris.

"SpaceX has not responded to emailed requests from BBC News for comment. The researchers also sent their findings to the company but did not receive a response.

"Almost 30,000 pieces of debris are calculated to be free-floating in space, created when rockets break up in space or satellites disintegrate.

"Scientists warn that the debris is congesting space and threatens collision with rockets, the International Space Station, and our planet.

"Musk's SpaceX is the world's leading company for rocket launches including for sending humans into space and maintaining a network of 10,000 Starlink internet satellites.

"Musk recently announced he has applied to launch one million satellites to support #ArtificialIntelligence ( #AI) data centres in space.

"Scientists warn that as humans move more activities off-Earth, more debris will fall to Earth, polluting as it plummets."

Read more:
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cpd8z4eqlxno

#LithiumPollution #AtmosphericPollution #NoAIInSpace #NoDatacentersInSpace #LEO #KesslerEffect #SpaceJunk #DarkSkies #LowerEarthOrbit #LEO #AIBullshitMachines #TechBros #xAI #Technopoly #SpacePollution
#AISucks #DataCenters #SkyNet #KesslerSyndrome #USPol #WorldPol #SpaceNews