Tuberville Gets $25,000 from Data Center Developer With Land in Brookwood

Some critics of Republican gubernatorial nominee Tommy Tuberville are claiming he has 25,000 reasons for backing the development of data centers across the state.

The figure, according to campaign contribution monitor Open Secrets, is the amount of money the Tuberville campaign has reported as a contribution from Applied Digital Corporation. That is a Dallas-based technology company that is one of the developers wanting to build a data center near Brookwood. They are also involved with data center development in other parts of the country.

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As the Thread has reported, Applied Digital owns 1,300 acres in Brookwood according to county property records. However, they have not confirmed if they plan to build a data center on that site. Brookwood officials have signed a non-disclosure agreement with the company and have not revealed much information either.

Tuberville has been an outspoken backer of data center development, calling them a “gold mine” for tax revenue and public services. He has alleged that those who oppose data centers are falling for disinformation imported to the United States by China and Russia. He claims they want to damage this country's economy by convincing people that data centers are bad.

Tuberville acknowledges that data centers “back in the day” caused environmental problems and noise, but insists modern technology has solved this. He told the summer conference of the Alabama Sheriff's Association recently that complaints about environmental damage and noise pollution are "bull crap."

Last week, at the ribbon-cutting for Auburn University’s new Applied Research Institute laboratory. He repeated his often-heard prediction about the impact of data centers.

“Data centers are the future,” he argued. “Everybody right now is looking. Hey, we don’t know whether we want data centers. Well, if you don’t have the power right now, and if you don’t have the ability to have a contract for the power, you’re not gonna get one anyway.”

Tuberville's Democratic Party foe in November, Doug Jones, reading public concern about the noise and extensive energy usage from data centers, has called for a one-year moratorium on new data centers being built in Alabama.

Other Democrats, including West Alabama Democrat Congresswoman Terri Sewell, have pushed legislation in Congress to place a moratorium on their construction nationwide.

Tuberville, a first-term U.S. Senator, has described the rapid buildout of data centers across Alabama and the country as being like the "space race" of the 1950s and 60s. The former Auburn football coach has been critical of long-term tax breaks for hyperscale data centers, though.

“They don’t need that. They have plenty of money.”

He has also asked Alabama Power to not allow the massive energy consumption to increase customer power bills.

A public meeting is set for next Tuesday in Brookwood for 50 Brookwood citizens who signed up to speak about the project.