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Proposed Data Centers in Alabama

About ARA

Alabama Rivers Alliance is a statewide network of groups working to protect and restore all of Alabama’s water resources through building partnerships, empowering citizens, and advocating for sound water policy and its enforcement.

Click here to read a summary of our 2023 – 2027 Strategic Plan.

Latest News

Comprehensive Map of Data Centers in Alabama Just Published!
PRESS RELEASE: FERC ignores statutory obligation to public
Unchecked gas pipeline permit scheme challenged in federal court
Statement Regarding Birmingham’s Data Center Ordinance

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Friends in and near Birmingham! Join us on Tuesday

Friends in and near Birmingham! Join us on Tuesday (August 18) at @rojobham! Learn more about our work and how you can get involved. ARA will receive 10% of all sales from 5 pm - close (dine in, carry out, Door Dash!).

PLUS: We'll be celebrating Martha Hunter and her recent retirement from ARA! Martha has dedicated countless hours over the past ten years at ARA strengthening our river protection movement, while making connections all across the state. Her endless energy and her passion for getting to know people and getting them connected to other Alabamians who are working so hard to defend and protect our rivers throughout the state is unprecedented. We look so forward to celebrating her with you!

#BirminghamAL #DefendRivers #WaterIsLife

JUST PUBLISHED! New map of all data centers in Ala

JUST PUBLISHED! New map of all data centers in Alabama, including existing and proposed sites, plus any municipal and county regulations. Simply enter your address and see what is actually happening near you and your families. See exactly where these data centers are proposed, what type of data center it is, and/or if there are any municipal or county ordinances in place to prevent them from coming to your community in the future. Find the link in our bio or story!

#DataCenters #Alabama #AlabamaRivers #WaterIsLife #DefendRivers #ALPolitics

It has been an incredible summer with our five sup

It has been an incredible summer with our five super talented Southern Exposure filmmakers, Moses, Callie, Anna, Grace and Ethan. They have been to all four corners of Alabama the past six weeks making their films about Alabama’s special and unique places. Scroll through to see where they have been for the past week or so! And stay tuned to see still frames from their films coming soon!

Last year’s film fellow Nico (of SALABAMA fame) took Anna and Callie deep into a cave to see sallies and snakes.

Callie amidst the pitcher plants at Splinter Hill Bog. She was exploring every corner of Alabama that the sun can see! 🌞

Grace took a break from her film diving deep into Alabama’s groundwater to catch a ride out to Coffee Island to see the ground nesters!

Moses didn’t want to leave Splinter Hill Bog! Let’s see if he makes it back to make a new film about this unique spot in South Alabama - totally worth the stop!

Ethan captured a one of a kind sunset for his film about Dauphin Island.

Anna spent a lot of time in McIntosh Alabama on the Tombigbee talking with communities impacted by decades of chemical pollution.

These two ibises are hoping to make it into Ethan’s film about the animals who call Dauphin Island home.

The American Lotus on America’s Amazon. Huge thanks to @brraines for sharing with Moses and Callie!

Moses became one with the Cahaba River and the unbelievable lily that calls it home. Here he is with La’Tanya talking about why the Cahaba lily is so precious.

TWO. ✨HOUR✨OLD. SNOWY. PLOVER.

Callie visited several utility scale solar farms all across the Southeast, including this one which featured grazing sheep!

Up up and away with Anna and Callie and pilot Rick from @southwings as they filmed from just below the clouds.

Ethan letting his drone go where he can not go.

This group of filmmakers (along with Nico!) have had quite the time in Alabama! If you haven’t seen them yet, stop by and say hi!

Production Intern Bellamy in the river! We had INCREDIBLE interns with us this summer. Shout out to Millie and Hally too!

Callie talks with @southernenvironment’s Christina Tidwell about her favorite topic!

Anna interviews a public he

THE COOSA RIVER NEEDS YOUR HELP! Our friends at C

THE COOSA RIVER NEEDS YOUR HELP!

Our friends at Coosa Riverkeeper have a very urgent action alert. An open pit graphite mining operation threatens to disturb more than 1,100 acres of forest in Coosa County, Alabama. This mine would be right next door to Lake Mitchell, the historic Pinhoti Trail, Coosa Wildlife Management Area, Weogufka Creek, Noneless Creek and Lake Mitchell. Scroll below to see a map of the mining operation, its mineral holdings and the surrounding communities that stand to be impacted.

Please take a moment today and submit your comment letter to the Army Corps. Let them know you are deeply concerned about the mine and ask for a public hearing.

Coosa Riverkeeper and SELC (Southern Environmental Law Center) have made it easy for you to submit your comments. Learn more and take action today: www.CoosaRiver.org/Graphite (or from our link in bio!)

#CoosaRiver #WaterIsLife #AlabamaRivers #DefendRivers #CoosaCounty

From @aldotcomnews today: Under threat of being su

From @aldotcomnews today: Under threat of being sued, the city of Bessemer has released the non-disclosure agreement that its elected mayor signed with the developer of a massive and controversial $14.5 billion data center.

After refusing for months to show the secrecy agreement to the public, the city recently released a copy to the Alabama Rivers Alliance and its lawyers.

“It’s deeply concerning when it takes legal threats for a government to comply with basic transparency laws,” said Ryan Anderson, an attorney with the Southern Environmental Law Center, which threatened to sue Bessemer on behalf of the Rivers Alliance.

“What’s worse,” she added, “is the city frustrated an open records act request for a document that’s very purpose is to shield information from the public about a highly controversial data center.”

Friends, grab your calendars and put a special sta

Friends, grab your calendars and put a special star on August 18! Join ARA and our partners for a special celebration of Martha Hunter and her recent retirement!

We'll be at @rojobham and have free chips and dips and a special toast! Other food and drink available for purchase. And Rojo will donate 10% of all proceeds to ARA in Martha's honor!

Learn more at the link in bio and we will see you there!

It's been a whirlwind of chaotic energy after the

It's been a whirlwind of chaotic energy after the first couple of weeks for the new Southern Exposure Film fellows! They've waded through the Cahaba AND Catawba Rivers checking out the beloved spider lily, flown right above the Tallapoosa River and the surrounding fields, discovered more about our state's groundwater resources and the communities that rely on them, talked to experts about clean energy, and we found some time to celebrate a birthday away from home! Next week some of us will be headed to Dauphin Island to search for snowy plovers and diamondback terrapins. The next few weeks are sure to be a cacophony of activity! Scroll through and take a look at the past two weeks.

Mark your calendars now for the premiere of our new films September 25 in Birmingham, and then all over Alabama after!

#AlabamaRivers #SouthernExposureFilms #CahabaRiver #CatawbaRiver #TombigbeeRiver #McIntosh #CleanEnergy #SpiderLily #Groundwater #CoastalBirds #DauphinIsland #Terrapins #WaterIsLife #DefendRivers

Creating good public policy is complicated and som

Creating good public policy is complicated and sometimes messy and there is no better example of that than yesterday's vote in Birmingham on a data center ordinance.

There are many positive aspects to the ordinance that was passed yesterday, including the requirement for hyperscale data centers to submit water conservation plans, and a requirement for all data centers to use closed loop cooling systems, which decrease water use.

Unfortunately removing a formal process for public participation in future data center development leaves a very important part of good public policy on the table. We are grateful that the city council has taken these steps to regulate data center development, but we remain committed to continuing to hold data centers and elected officials accountable for protecting our communities and our environment from the harmful impacts of data centers.

#DataCenters #Alabama #ALPolitics #DefendRivers #WaterIsLife #AlabamaRivers

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