PCC member Jake Brown warns data centers could create a "data heat island," urges local controls

Jake Brown, a member of the parish planning and zoning commission, told the Caddo Parish Commission that recent, much larger "hyperscale" data centers pose immediate environmental and health risks to rural Caddo Parish and called for local rules to slow their rollout. "What they discovered should terrify everyone in this room," Brown said as he cited a March 2026 Cambridge study he said showed data centers can raise ground temperature by up to 16 degrees Fahrenheit and extend measurable warming several kilometers beyond a site.

Brown pressed commissioners to act now rather than wait for a full master plan, saying the planning and zoning process could take a year or longer and by then the facilities will already be operating. He cited peer‑reviewed studies and a June 2026 University of Georgia report he said links industrial cooling systems and maintenance chemicals to groundwater risks, and he warned about persistent low‑frequency noise and air emissions from backup diesel generators. Brown urged the commission to form environmental review committees, halt tax and incentive pilots for data centers, and consider revising the chapter 30 nuisance ordinance to address noise, heat and emissions.

Commissioners responded with questions about representation, the cost and timing of a master plan and whether state or federal action is required. Several commissioners said they want the parish planning commission and MPC to pursue a master plan and to return with funding options; others suggested local nuisance ordinances could provide more immediate protections. The commission did not adopt new rules at the meeting but discussed steps staff could pursue, and members agreed to continue the topic in upcoming committee meetings.