Tag Archives: INCOG

Are Data Centers Betraying Citizens

By David Arnett

Private Fiber Lines Revealed in Public Right-of-ways

Are high speed commercial Fiber Optic Lines being installed illegally in Oklahoma to connect multiple data centers? Are public utility rights-of-way being used for private commercial installations without the knowledge or permitting approval of local and state officials? Are Oklahomans being bamboozled by the monied elite for billions of dollars over decades with no compensation provided to local property owners? Could this be happening within clusters of data centers nationwide?

Phyllis Fallen heard a construction crew approaching her property on 660 Road one mile south of the Mayes County-Wagoner County line in Oklahoma. When she stepped outside and asked what they were doing, the crew said they were laying a fiber optic line. No compensation was offered, and no documentation was initially produced.

Fiber Optic Lines in Wagoner County. Photo by Phyllis Fallen
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Data Center Zoning Approved

By David Arnett

Reporter Opinion: The aftermath is the story

Today, the Board of County Commissioners held a special meeting to continue a public hearing and vote on a zoning application (CZ 565, PUD 871) for Project Clydesdale. There was no legal reason to deny the zoning change requested by the landowner. More citizens objected to this development than any other Tulsa County has faced, but it was approved.

Multiple local trade unions, including the Northeast Labor Council, voiced strong support, citing the creation of high-wage jobs and paid apprenticeship programs. For iron workers alone, the project is estimated to represent $1.5 million in wages and nearly $1 million in benefits annually. They wore identifying shirts and caps and jackets.

Everyone was polite until the crowd began to file out.

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