Letter to the Editor: To Mayor Dial in Response to Tyrone’s Data Center Plans

Dear Mayor Dial,

I had the chance to speak with a Fayetteville resident after their astonishing turn out to oppose a new data center last month. Their concerns largely mirror my own and those of other Tyrone residents regarding the Microsoft data center.  

I am sure you have heard the arguments against data centers and their disreputable use of resources. Georgia Power representatives like Jeff Butterworth assert that Georgians need not fear their local data center driving up their power bill. Georgia Power has agreed to freeze base rates through 2028¹. Butterworth chooses his words carefully here as base rates are just one piece of what is calculated into a monthly electric bill. Tyrone residents should brace themselves for the possibility of paying more in supplementary fees, like fuel cost adjustments and demand charges. Just last year, Georgia Power avoided providing accounting to confirm that it was complying with a similar promise of “downward pressure” made in 2023².

The Data Center Coalition wants us to know that these facilities do return the millions of gallons they demand. The potable water used for the cooling system is returned as recycled water which, in the state of Georgia, is not safe for human consumption ³. In times of drought, who has priority of the water supply? What guarantees do you have that it will be residents?

Other than tax revenue, what is Microsoft willing to contribute to our community? It is estimated that the air pollution from data centers alone could cause an additional 600,000 asthma cases annually in the U.S. and an estimated 1,300 premature deaths⁴. Additionally, the infrasound emitted from them, while undetectable to the ear, have been linked to physical and neurological symptoms such as fatigue, headaches, depression and anxiety⁵. It is no wonder that Microsoft attorney, Lyndi Stone said “I don’t want a data center in my backyard.”⁶

Neither do I.

Sincerely,

April Coffie

Tyrone, GA 30290

Works Cited

¹ White-Stevens, Ellie. “Georgia Power Pushes Back on Data Center Misinformation | the Citizen.” Thecitizen.com, 23 Feb. 2026, thecitizen.com/2026/02/23/georgia-power-pushes-back-on-data-center-misinformation/.

² “PSC Unanimously Votes to Approve Georgia Power’s Data Center Plan without Sufficient Customer Protections.” Southern Environmental Law Center, 19 Dec. 2025, https://www.selc.org/press-release/psc-unanimously-votes-to-approve-georgia-powers-data-center-plan-without-sufficient-customer-protections/.

³ State of Georgia Department of Natural Resources. Guidelines for Water Reclamation and Urban Water Reuse. 30 Mar. 2012, epd.georgia.gov/document/publication/guidelines-water-reclamation-and-urban-water-reusepdf/download.

⁴ Han, Yuelin, et al. “The Unpaid Toll: Quantifying and Addressing the Public Health Impact of Data Centers.” arXiv, 9 Dec. 2024, https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2412.06288.

⁵ Erdélyi, Kristina H., et al. “Low-Frequency Noise: Experiences from a Low-Frequency Noise Perceiving Population.” International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, vol. 20, no. 5, 1 Jan. 2023, p. 3916, www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/20/5/3916, https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20053916.⁶ Ma, Jason. ““Nobody Really Wants a Data Center in Their Backyard,” Says Microsoft Attorney.” Datacenterdynamics.com, 5 Nov. 2025, www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/nobody-really-wants-a-data-center-in-their-backyard-says-microsoft-attorney/.