""There was a public meeting, which most were unaware of," Jessie Chandler, a resident of rural Marion County, told Capital B, referring to a Jan. 22 council meeting. "I know legally they had to announce the public meeting within a certain time frame for all of us to attend, but most of the county [was] preparing for this winter storm, which we know firsthand will affect us all because it has before.""
"On the agenda prior to the council meeting, the line item for the vote was called "Project Liberty," but it did not list details of the project. The pattern residents of this majority-Black rural county are experiencing is not isolated. Across the country, developers are using NDAs to keep projects hidden while systematically choosing communities - often majority-Black rural counties - with less organized political and economic power."
"Davante Lewis, a Louisiana Public Service Commissioner who has opposed data center projects, said the pattern of NDAs and tax deals negotiated before public input has become standard practice. "Engagement, for me, shouldn't happen after you've already signed the deal or you got the NDA and cut a tax deal. It should be at the beginning when you're considering it," Lewis told Capital B in October."
A rare winter storm coincided with Marion County officials approving a $2.4 billion data center while most residents remained unaware. The county council signed a nondisclosure agreement that prevented public disclosure and placed the vote on the agenda under the vague title "Project Liberty" without project details. Many residents were occupied with storm preparations and did not attend the public meeting. Developers nationwide use NDAs to keep projects hidden and often target majority-Black rural counties with limited political and economic power. Marion County has poverty and unemployment rates roughly double the U.S. average. NDAs and pre-negotiated tax deals often sideline early public engagement.
Read at Truthout
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