Meta is spending $10B in rural Louisiana to build its largest data center

Redefining “Green” Energy and Policy Context

• Strong criticism of Louisiana’s law labeling natural gas as “green,” seen as blatant greenwashing enabling Meta to claim climate progress while burning fossil fuel.
• Non‑binding “renewables” promises are viewed as political cover, not real constraints, and a way to avoid securities/fraud issues around climate commitments.
• Several comments tie this to Louisiana’s history of political corruption, petrochemical dependence, and “resource curse,” seeing the state as a low‑regulation sacrifice zone (e.g., “Cancer Alley”).

Gas vs. Coal, Methane, and Emissions

• Thread debates whether natural gas is substantially “cleaner” than coal:
  • Pro‑gas side: combustion emits mostly CO₂ and water, with far fewer particulates, SO₂, NOx, and heavy metals; for anyone living with the pollution, gas is clearly preferable.
  • Skeptical side: upstream methane leaks (20–80× CO₂ warming potential over 20–100 years) plus “sour” gas with sulfur compounds erode the climate benefit; coal mine methane can also be severe.
• Some argue that if gas is already being flared at wells, using it for power is an improvement.
• Others stress that relabeling fossil gas “green” misses the point: total lifecycle emissions matter.

Local Environmental and Community Impact

• Concerns about water use (aquifers, drought‑prone analogies), heat and humidity increasing cooling load, and siting in a flood‑adjacent zone.
• Reference to broader critiques: data centers bring few jobs, large tax breaks, heavy power and water consumption, and often secrecy around resource use.
• Counterpoints note that, versus heavy industry, data centers are relatively low‑noise, low‑pollution, and some residents welcome any investment in a poor, low‑tech region.

Power, Location, and Grid Effects

• Commenters see a wider pattern: tech firms chasing the cheapest power, adding carbon‑heavy demand in red‑state grids while driving expensive “green” additions in blue states.
• Discussion of Jevons paradox: even as compute gets more efficient, total AI demand is expected to keep rising, burdening ratepayers.
• Louisiana’s draw: very cheap MISO‑region power (coal and gas heavy), cheap land, existing and promised new generation, and targeted tax incentives (Act 730).

Data Center Siting, Reliability, and Alternatives

• Debate over Louisiana’s climate risk: inland site reduces direct hurricane surge risk, but extreme floods and rare seismic events still possible.
• Questioning why not cooler northern locations; replies emphasize that access to massive, cheap, quickly expandable power and infrastructure outweighs ambient temperature.
• Some propose fully off‑grid, solar‑plus‑storage megasites in deserts as potentially better long‑term solutions, but no firm evidence is discussed.