Louisiana regulators have recently allowed Meta’s Hyperion data center records to remain secret, overturning a previous order from a local administrative law judge. Louisiana residents reacted with anger to this development, blaming the Republican Party for it.
As reported by the Louisiana Illuminator, the Louisiana Public Service Commission decided in a 3-1 vote that the $50 billion data center was not legally obliged to disclose how it calculated projected jobs and electricity needs. The vote followed party lines, with Republicans Jean-Paul Coussan, Mike Francis, and Eric Skrmetta voting against the order, while Democrat Davante Lewis voted to maintain it. Another Democrat, Foster Campbell, was absent from the meeting.
After the decision, Meta will not need to disclose additional information about the Hyperion AI data center campus it’s creating in Richland Parish in a deal with Entergy Louisiana. The project entered the spotlight as it reportedly needed more energy to operate than was initially disclosed. Due to non-disclosure agreements signed by officials, including Republican Governor Jeff Landry, the information was kept private.
The data center is expected to create 1,000 permanent jobs, but it will require 5 gigawatts of electricity. It was also reported that it may cost Louisiana consumers $8-$13 per month.
Residents Criticize Louisiana Republican Lawmakers
The decision led one person to publish an open letter against it on Reddit’s r/Louisiana, titled: “Louisiana Has Officially Sold Its Soul, And May Never Recover.” In it, the user complained about the lack of clarity, and especially that it’s not clear what Louisiana would get in return for this huge data center, which could be costly to locals.
Most users agreed by criticizing the Republican Party: “Transparency is a republican buzzword, not reality.” Another said: “The promised # of jobs for $ amount of tax breaks never, never, never, never materializes.”
Someone expressed a lack of enthusiasm for the future of the state: “Louisiana has never been owned by the ordinary people and has always belonged to corpos and the rich. It’s been this way since slavery, if not longer.” Another user blamed the locals: “Par for the course here, and they’ll keep selling because no one has fallen for culture war harder than Louisiana Republicans.”
Following the decision, Meta is free to keep its data secret, but it’s possible that locals will continue trying to stop the project, or at least show skepticism regarding it.
