U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-Auburn) is very supportive of new data centers being built in the state, but doesn’t think they should get any special tax benefits from Alabama taxpayers.
Tuberville released a 21-page governing agenda Thursday titled “Back to Basics: The Golden Age Playbook,” which lays out his priorities and his legislative plan for his first session as Governor less than two weeks before the November 3 general election.
“For nearly 40 years, I built teams for a living. For the last six, I’ve represented Alabama in the United States Senate,” Tuberville said. “Both jobs taught me the same thing. You win by getting the basics right: the right people in the right places, a clear assignment for everybody, and accountability for results, starting with the man at the top.”
Part of the blueprint addresses what he calls “a new deal for data centers.”
“I’m changing how Alabama treats data centers,” Tuberville said. “No more tax breaks. They go in the highest property tax class, pay the full cost of the power lines, substations, and water systems they need, and replace the power and water capacity they take. Local communities decide whether a data center is right for them, and if your community says no, my answer is no. The new tax money goes to career tech in our schools, law enforcement, and tax cuts for families.”
Last week, the Lowndes County Commission approved a 20-year tax abatement for Project Red Clay, the Nvidia-backed data center planned on more than 1,000 acres in Burkville, on a 3-2 vote after months of vehement opposition from residents.
The senator has been generally supportive of data centers, even calling them “the future,” but has also said he wants the buildout done right.
One of the major concerns from Alabamians when it comes to the issue is how it could affect energy prices for the average consumer. Tuberville’s plan is to “protect the ratepayer.”
“Residential customers come first,” the blueprint says. “Base rates are frozen until 2029 under the new energy law, and the Family Affordability Act extends that freeze. No family or small business will pay a single cent more because of a data center or any other big user. And when rates are on the table, my Secretary of Energy will call hearings under oath, so every increase gets justified in public.”
The plan also is to make sure the energy infrastructure will be able to support the new demand.
“The next wave of jobs runs on electricity, and President Trump has made American energy dominance a national mission,” Tuberville said. “Alabama will lead it with a simple deal: we’ll get power to new jobs faster than any state in America, and families and small businesses will never pay for somebody else’s power plant.”
Yaffee is a contributing writer to Yellowhammer News and hosts “The Yaffee Program” weekdays 9-11 a.m. on WVNN. You can follow him on X @Yaffee.
