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Campaigning in Birmingham Tuesday morning, Doug Jones reiterated his commitment to press pause on data center development proposed across the state and attacked his opponent, Tommy Tuberville, for his financial ties to data center interests.
“The data center controversy has erupted because people are realizing that it’s a perfect example of why they distrust Alabama elected officials, why they believe that Alabama’s government does not listen or pay attention,” Jones, who is running as a Democrat for governor, said during a press conference.
“The way this has been handled in Alabama up to now is just the opposite of democracy. … A sitting United States senator who wants to be your next governor is personally invested. Alabamians do not have to accept that.”
Jones has called for a one-year moratorium on data centers to allow the state time to establish statewide regulations to protect communities, utility ratepayers and natural resources before allowing a massive influx of the controversial projects.
If all the data centers being proposed in Alabama now were built, they would consume more electricity than all the state’s homes combined, according to an Inside Climate News analysis.
Jones said Wednesday that concerns over data centers is not only about their massive water and electrical demands, it also is about the secretive and speculative nature of their buildout, it’s about ethics and who profits, a trail he said leads back to Tuberville.
Tuberville, a prolific stock trader with more than 1,300 reported trades since taking office, has significant investments in AI and data center companies, including the Chinese Alibaba, a major developer of data centers worldwide.
“His current holdings show that AI and data centers are the single largest concentration in his entire investment portfolio, between $500,000 and $1.5 million in AI- and data center-linked stocks he owns right now. Today, while he asks Alabamians to trust his judgment about data centers, look at the stocks he holds: Google, Microsoft, Oracle, Apple, Qualcomm, Accenture, the big AI names.”
Tuberville, who is running on the Republican ballot to trade up from his Senate seat to the governor’s office, initially gave full-throated support to data centers and blamed China for stoking public backlash against the developments.
Polling earlier last month showed a diminishing lead for Tuberville, largely on the issue of data centers. Tuberville softened his position on data centers in an opinion piece published Tuesday on Alabama Political Reporter with a set of tax proposals to make big tech fit the bill.
“Here’s my message to data centers: If you want to use our resources, you pay full taxes, cover the total cost of your energy, and replace what you take,” Tuberville said in the column. “We’ll welcome you with open arms, but keep your hands out of our pockets.”
Jones said that Tuberville’s recent overtures change nothing about how he will continue to run his own campaign and even less about how Tuberville is running his. The money, Jones said, still leads straight to Tuberville’s own pockets.
“He’s still invested in these funds. He’s still invested,” Jones said. “He’s never talked about what’s going on in those meetings and behind closed doors. What commitments he’s making to the power company and what they’re making to him. What commitments he’s making to the tech companies and what they’re making to him. That’s no plan.”
The secrecy around data center plans has been a hot button issue at sites across the state.
In Bessemer, public officials signed nondisclosure agreements with a data center developer to shred public records. In the majority-black Lowndes County, residents also have been demanding information about a planned 1,500-megawatt facility planned near their homes, to no avail.
Data center controversy shows need for ethics reform
Jones’ focus on ethics surrounding data centers extended beyond Tuberville as an individual and into the broader realm of statewide policy reform.
He called on all candidates invested in AI companies and data centers to divest from them ahead of the November elections, while demanding an overhaul of state law to compel public officials to disclose more detailed financial holding information. He said there need to be an end to secretive data center deals, emphasizing a ban on non-disclosure agreements and the destruction of public records.
“Alabama’s ethics laws are as weak as water. You do not have to disclose holdings, much less trades, and Tommy Tuberville never, ever talks about reforming Alabama’s ethics. So here’s what I’m calling for today: calling for it not as a corruption charge, calling for it as a policy reform, because the law that lets Tommy Tuberville get away from this is a law that we can change.”
Renewed call for debate
Jones reiterated his call for a debate, something his opponent has refused.
“Don’t be afraid. You should not be afraid to get in front of the people of Alabama, along with your opponent, and talk about the issues that are going to affect this state for years and generations to come,” Jones called out to Tuberville.
“Don’t take a knee, coach. Let’s get up there and have at it.”
