Across the country, data centers are popping up in residential areas—and driving locals mad.
As artificial intelligence brings about a need for more computing power, companies are responding by buying up land and filling it with “data centers.” These are buildings with the sole purpose of housing IT infrastructure.
Additionally, running a data center requires few local staff. This means that the creation of a data center will likely only result in a few dozen permanent jobs. For that benefit, residents have to deal with noise, potential water contamination, and even the possible loss of their home.
Seeing this, many are reminded of previous environmental issues that occurred as a result of development. Now, one user on TikTok is connecting the current data center growth with a topic near to her heart: mountaintop removal in Appalachia.
What’s Going On In Appalachia?
In a video with over 152,000 views, TikTok user @theappalachianqueen explains that her “papaw was born on a mountain that no longer exists because the coal companies blew it up in my lifetime.”
“That mountain had a name. It was called Long Ridge Mountain. If you Google it, you won’t find nothing. It’s not on Google Maps, it’s not on Apple Maps. There’s not a book about it,” she says. “The name of that mountain only exists in the brains of the people that live in this area and know about it because it was passed down from the old folk. And when the last person dies that remembers what that mountain was called, the name of that mountain will die with them.”
The TikToker is likely referring to mountaintop removal. This is exactly what it sounds like: removing a significant portion of a mountain in order to get to the coal inside. Typically, this also involves razing the mountain. This means removing much of the natural wildlife.
According to the TikToker, after the coal companies were done with the mountain, they covered the area in foliage. However, her “papaw…said they ‘just put cheap trees back there.’” While the specific type of tree she’s referring to cannot be verified, it’s a known issue that reforestation efforts used to heavily feature plants that would grow quickly. This was occasionally called the “grassland reclamation approach.” Modern practices emphasize the importance of long-term, more stable vegetation, even if it takes more time to grow.
How Does This Relate To Data Centers?
The TikToker claims that, in the same way mining companies destroyed land, data centers may fill the same role.
“Almost 100 years later, and the data centers are coming in. They’re gonna try to do the same thing again,” she says. “It’s just, the way that I see it, history doesn’t really repeat itself. But it often rhymes. And if you think for a minute that these big wigs from the next era of Appalachian extraction ain’t gonna come in and try to rip everything away that your family fought for, you’re lying to yourself.”
“If we forget where we come from, they will do it again,” she concludes. “And that’s why I think that preserving Appalachian history is so important.”
The TikToker is correct that data centers are slowly moving into Appalachia. Some residents of Bell County, Kentucky, which is in Appalachia, are currently fighting efforts to build a data center in their community.
There are also confirmed incidents of data center construction and use causing environmental damage. In Mason County, West Virginia, a poorly-sealed data center construction site overflowed and flooded residents’ homes. Permits have also been granted to construction firms to build data centers on wetlands.
Commenters Are Upset
In the comments section, users shared their disgust at the state of construction in the United States. They shared how many stories of environmental devastation are lost to time.
“‘Yall think this is pretty now, yall should’ve seen it before they blew it up’ is such a terribly great way to describe so much of this country. The people and the land,” a user summarized.
“My grandparents and even my father was raised growing up on and around Blair mountain, a lot of my ancestors fought the battle of blair mountain, and it disgusts me that its not taught as US history what had happened there,” another added.
“I’m from Western North Carolina and in my town they mine Mica and quartz and feldspar. The purest in the world. There is a piece of my town in every computer chip on earth. We are the fourth poorest county in North Carolina and they just keep taking more and more of the mountains, big ugly scars from the leech mining. These mountains and these communities are nothing to them but a means to make profit and it makes me furious,” detailed a third.
@theappalachianqueen My family has lived on this little property since 1928, after Long Ridge was acquired for the coal she held beneath her. 100 years later, data centers are threatening to do the very same thing. Preserving Appalachian history is crucial to our future. If we forget where we came from, these corporations will do the same thing to us that they did to our ancestors. They will promise a future for your people, but those of us that have been here for generations have seen how these things play out. If we don’t stand up now, and say enough is enough, your people’s mountain may not exist in 50 years, just like my people’s mountain no longer exists . #appalachia#easternkentucky#mountainstories#fightback
BroBible reached out to @theappalachianqueen via TikTok direct message and comment.