Residents raise environmental concerns over proposed Caddo Parish data centers

Residents spoke about noise pollution, affected wildlife, drinking water and the project's long-term effects on their neighborhood. 

"They destroyed the habitat. Squirrels, deer, the turtles and everything is destroyed there," said resident Tommy Bison. 

Bison lives across the street from the site on land his family has owned for over 115 years. He told commissioners that land clearing has changed the character of the area while raising concerns about local wildlife and his own spring-fed pond's water levels. 

"They made our peaceful, quiet home into a construction superhighway. There's no peace to be found on State Line Road anymore. The place I called home my entire life does not feel like home anymore," said Bison.

Bison says he wants answers as to what residents may be facing down the road. 

"I want the environmental studies done. I want to know what it's going to do to our water. I've got ponds in my back yard that have been spring-fed my entire life. They don't go up or down. They are supposed to stay the same level. They have lost a foot of water over the last year," said Bison.

Other residents echoed his concerns, saying they were not given a chance to weigh in before construction began. 

Now some are organizing petitions calling for more transparency and a moratorium on future data center projects.

"We want moratoriums, we want environmental justice and we want transparency with the Caddo Commission, the Shreveport Mayor and City Council," said No Data Centers 318 organizer Abby Weddington. 

Residents say they plan to keep attending meetings at the project moves forward while continuing to push for more information about its long-term impacts to the community. 

A meeting will be held at Greenwood Acres Baptist Church Thursday where residents can learn more about impacts to their community by data centers.