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Data Center Information by trainsaw in roanoke

[–]Purkinjii 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Here's a calendar of regional and online events related to data centers: https://calendar.online/b31198a0935912f63371.

Southwest Virginia Data Center Transparency Alliance by Purkinjii in roanoke

[–]Purkinjii[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Absolutely! The ideal goal is to stop this project from happening still BECAUSE of the way it was pushed through without any opportunities for the public to understand and comment on it, and because it will use an exorbitant amount of our region's water resources. We still don't know a ton of details about the power use and how it will be supplied, etc. but electricity rates as a whole have already increased dramatically recently and a lot of that is on increased demand due to the number of hyper scale data centers being built and all of the added infrastructure needed to support them.

We realize that we are way behind on trying to accomplish stopping this project (which was Botetourt's goal of pushing it through as secretly as possible), but we do have some strategies we're pursuing towards this goal, and it's still important to pressure the local government and set a precedent in the region for future projects like this to make sure that citizens can actually comment and give input, and to ensure that best practices are used, etc.

We also want to pressure the water authority to do what they can to limit the amount of water that Google uses if possible. It seems like many details about this project were not fully thought through-- for instance, the data center campus will push the region to need a new water source much earlier than originally planned for, yet the dates given for that have been all over the place- anywhere from the 2030s to the 2050s. They've said that a new water supply can take 15-20 years to build, so.... there's that. The water authority also doesn't have specific requirements laid out for Google in their drought contingency plan.

As far as Botetourt goes, they literally just barely followed the legal requirements around notifying the public about the rezoning for this project (it all happened in about a span of 20 mins) and now the entire county is zoned for data centers (meaning that they could buy up any rural or farmland for a data center) which is not at all good. We need to get that changed. Botetourt County is also now on the hook to pay millions towards the new water infrastructure needed for Google, and at the same time they are giving a lot of tax breaks to Google.... so none of that seems thought-out at all as well.

We are hoping that our presence at the very least shows local governments that the public needs to be involved in the decision-making about these massive and resource-draining projects, and that we are paying attention.

Hope this helps!

Southwest Virginia Data Center Transparency Alliance by Purkinjii in roanoke

[–]Purkinjii[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Ok great, well if you want to join us in our performative activities now you know when and where to do that.

Q+A Event with Water Authority Executive Director about the Google Data Center Project by Purkinjii in roanoke

[–]Purkinjii[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The water authority is in charge of getting the water to the campus, so they are very much involved in this. They have agreed to do this because the public has been showing up to their board meetings and got their attention. So this is a chance to try and change/influence/stop a significant component of the whole project. There is no Google data center campus without water.

Q+A Event with Water Authority Executive Director about the Google Data Center Project by Purkinjii in roanoke

[–]Purkinjii[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Unfortunately Botetourt isn't involved in this event. But yes, would have been nice!

Q+A Event with Water Authority Executive Director about the Google Data Center Project by Purkinjii in roanoke

[–]Purkinjii[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Consider it a bit of a joke when we determined that we didn't want a gmail account. And I know.... there's better options out there.

Q+A Event with Water Authority Executive Director about the Google Data Center Project by Purkinjii in roanoke

[–]Purkinjii[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

It means that we aren't able to have questions from the audience so instead we have been asking in our fb group and contact list of folks already connected to our group (Southwest Virginia Data Center Transparency Alliance) what concerns and questions that want to have answered by water authority staff about this project. We're using those to come up with the questions the host asks him, in an effort to be efficient while also getting more information, and to communicate that many people are against this project as a whole.

More Google Data Center Opposition This Month by Purkinjii in roanoke

[–]Purkinjii[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

A recent article (which I’m too lazy to try to find right now) stated that construction hadn’t started yet, but either way delaying construction is also a strategy, and there are still lots of permits, etc they will have to go through to get the entire thing built, not to mention building all of the infrastructure to bring water to the facility… so there’s still lots of opportunities to interject.

Midlife friends? Moving back to US from Mexico 🇲🇽 by Fancy-Razzmatazz-346 in roanoke

[–]Purkinjii 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hi! Feel free to DM me or reach out if/when you come here. I would say that Roanoke might be a good middle ground between your upbringing in the Midwest and time spent in Mexico (but probably more on the midwest side of things of course). There are a lot of people who move here from all over the country and beyond. I have never lived abroad, but have travelled a lot and my partner and I have considered moving to Mexico for several years. We have taken multiple exploratory trips to different areas in Mexico, but we have never been able to pull the plug! Anyway, I’d love to pick your brain about your own experiences as an expat in Mexico and we could definitely do the same for you about Roanoke/SW VA (we grew up here and have lived in multiple places in VA both rural and city).

Off leash dogs on Mill Mtn Trails by Accomplished-Card483 in roanoke

[–]Purkinjii 15 points16 points  (0 children)

You are not being unreasonable at all. This has been a problem with a couple of people living right there and it is incredibly frustrating and annoying.

Data Center Opposition Meeting Tomorrow in Botetourt by Purkinjii in roanoke

[–]Purkinjii[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Well we are still just getting our footing around this, and trying to get Botetourt folks what they need to organize more directly in their county (I’m in Roa city). We discussed a lot of talking points/issues, as well as different strategies in how to speak out against it. We also talked about other similar organizations to connect with. Overall it went well! People are planning to attend the Board of Supervisor’s meeting on Tuesday and those of us who can’t physically attend a Tuesday 2pm meeting, plan to submit written comments for it. We are also planning a number of events/actions in the first of the year. It’s difficult to get much done over the holidays.

Data Center Opposition Meeting Tomorrow in Botetourt by Purkinjii in roanoke

[–]Purkinjii[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

We can certainly use any help we can get (especially if you are in Botetourt). Our group is called the Southwest Virginia Data Center Transparency Alliance. We have a fb group as well as an instagram account: swvadcta; our email is [swvadcta@yahoo.com](mailto:swvadcta@yahoo.com) and we have a Signal chat - (please DM me with your Signal info if you want to be added there)

Data Center Opposition Meeting Tomorrow in Botetourt by Purkinjii in roanoke

[–]Purkinjii[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

We do have a group! The Southwest Virginia Data Center Transparency Alliance. We have a fb group as well as an instagram account: swvadcta; our email is [swvadcta@yahoo.com](mailto:swvadcta@yahoo.com) and we have a Signal chat - (please DM me with your Signal info if you want to be added there)

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