Former Fulton County Commissioner Natalie Hall, District 4, issued the following statement today regarding data centers in Fulton County:
“If you have a mobile phone, you use and need data. If you stream content via Wi-Fi and the internet, you use and need data. Which means most all of us. It’s really that simple.
As a twice-elected Fulton County commissioner in District 4, and now a candidate again this November, coupled with my 30-plus years as an information technology professional, I understand both the extraordinary benefits of technology and the infrastructure required to support our increasingly digital economy.
I know that data centers are essential to cloud computing, artificial intelligence, telecommunications, financial services, government operations and countless technologies that businesses and residents use every day. But understanding the value of technology also means understanding its requirements. Large-scale data centers can place substantial demands on electricity, water, transportation and other public infrastructure. Those impacts must be evaluated before projects are approved—not after communities begin experiencing the consequences.
Transparency must be non-negotiable. Residents and taxpayers deserve to know the projected water and electricity consumption of proposed facilities, infrastructure requirements, environmental impacts, anticipated permanent employment, expected tax revenue, proposed tax incentives or abatements, and the effect a development could have on surrounding neighborhoods.
I favor protecting residential communities through responsible land-use decisions. Technology and economic development are not the enemy. The question is whether we are making thoughtful decisions about where these facilities are located, what resources they require, what benefits they provide to Fulton County, and what long-term costs may be borne by taxpayers and surrounding communities.
These discussions underscore the need for a consistent principle: economic development must also be responsible development.
