What was said about data centers in Tennessee
31 statements from 20 speakers, grouped by who spoke. Each appears as said, with the date and the source. No verdict is attached.
From August 19, 2026 to October 2, 2026. Statements from every state are on Statements.
Government 16
Officials in office, lawmakers, regulators, public agencies and courts, federal, state, tribal and local. Every state.
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Erin Brockovich, Consumer Advocate and Environmental Activist; Justin J. Pearson, Tennessee State Representative
Communities are mounting bipartisan grassroots backlash against data center developments
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Tennessee House Representative
Representative Aftyn Behn said she will file legislation for the 2027 session prohibiting the state from issuing tax exemptions for three years
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City manager Joe Fivas clarified city is still drafting PUD, expects completion by 5 p.m. Friday Sept. 18
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xAI Colossus data center in Memphis invested 25% of tax revenue into communities within 5 miles of site under agreement with Memphis leaders
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Tennessee law (Tenn. Code Ann. § 67-6-206)
Qualified data centers in Tennessee receive sales tax exemptions on certain computer equipment, repair services, and backup power infrastructure after investing at least $100 million and creating 15 full time jobs
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Tennessee law (Tenn. Code Ann. § 67-6-206)
Qualified data centers in Tennessee can purchase electricity at a reduced 1.5% tax rate after investing at least $100 million and creating 15 full time jobs
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Tennessee Department of Revenue does not track revenue lost through data center sales tax exemptions
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Lebanon City Council
One building per parcel limit and operations must be fully contained within building
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Lebanon City Council
Minimum distance requirements: 100 feet for buildings under 20,000 square feet, 500 feet for 20,000-99,000 square feet, 1,320 feet for over 99,000 square feet from residential and mixed use districts
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Lebanon City Council
Requirements include continuous landscape buffer and noise thresholds with no light trespass onto adjacent property
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EPA Administrator Zeldin called New York's statewide moratorium on large new data centers an easy way to cop out
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EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin is urging state and local governments to address environmental and infrastructure concerns surrounding data centers without broadly halting development as communities consider moratoriums
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Lee Zeldin, EPA Administrator
EPA does not plan to develop a single national environmental standard specifically for data centers
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Lee Zeldin, EPA Administrator
Trump administration pursued policies intended to encourage data center development while addressing concerns about energy demand and infrastructure costs
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Tennessee Governor
Gov. Bill Lee visited Fisk amid data center controversy
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Memphis
Mayor Young hopes for clarity on data centers and TVA rates at open session
Chief executives 1
Chief executives, presidents, founders and chairs of companies, in technology, data centers, power and elsewhere. Every state.
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Keshaun Pearson, co-founder of Memphis Community Against Pollution
Memphis community reports cancer rate 4.1 times the national average near xAI data center
Candidates and campaigns 9
People running for office, their campaigns and their parties. A candidate who does not hold the office is not an official. Every state.
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Tennessee gubernatorial candidate
Lauren Pinkston called for statewide moratorium on new data center construction until legislature puts real siting standards in place covering water use, distance from schools, and mandatory community input
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Tennessee gubernatorial candidate
Charles Van Morgan stated he supports statewide standards with data centers located only in communities where local voters approve them
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Tennessee gubernatorial candidate
Dave Seeman advocated for statewide moratorium to establish Environmental Justice Division within Department of Environment and Conservation to enforce facility standards and grid regulations
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Tennessee gubernatorial candidate
Misam Abadi stated he does not support Tennessee banning data centers and wants state level minimum standards protecting water, electrical grid, ratepayers, environment and communities
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Tennessee gubernatorial candidate
Robert Vick stated data centers should be local decisions with less state government interference
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Republican gubernatorial candidate
Marsha Blackburn said local communities should decide if and where data centers are placed and that the Ratepayer Protection Pledge was important for protecting consumers.
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gubernatorial candidate
Lauren Pinkston said she was the first major candidate calling for a statewide moratorium on new data center construction until the Legislature enacts siting standards.
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gubernatorial candidate
Dave Seeman said he released a five policy package on AI and data centers in Tennessee and called for a 24 month moratorium to establish an Environmental Justice Division and regulations.
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independent gubernatorial candidate
Dr. Robert C. Vick said data centers should be a local decision within each county and that AI guardrails should protect children, privacy, and employees.
Advocates and residents 1
Advocacy and community groups on every side, residents, neighbors and people speaking at public meetings. Every state.
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Sierra Club
Project River data center campus would destroy generational farmland in Bradley County
Other voices 4
Journalists, lawyers, former officials, and speakers the source describes in words that name none of the groups above. Every state.
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RPC Director Jeff Tyndall said data centers would only be allowed in M-1 or M-2 zones and must have approved resource plans for electric, water and sewer
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RPC Director Tyndall said Montgomery County currently does not have the electrical and water capacity to support another mega center like Google
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Craig Fuller, CEO and owner of Times Free Press, argued that the Tennessee Valley region's access to electricity through TVA gives it an advantage as technology companies invest in data centers.
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Craig Fuller says data centers could make Tennessee Valley an economic super region
The group comes from the words the source gives for the speaker; how the groups are read. Every statement on the record is in CSV and JSON, with its group and its state.
