Reckoning With Data

“The Industrial Revolution and its consequences have been a disaster for the human race…[T]hey have destabilized society, have made life unfulfilling, have subjected human beings to indignities, have led to widespread psychological suffering…and have inflicted severe damage on the natural world. The continued development of technology will worsen the situation.“ – Industrial Society and its Future – T. Kaczynski [1995]

I’m not saying that a lonely and unhinged mathematician was right. I’m just saying that he wasn’t wrong about everything. Further, his warnings about technology get more uncomfortable with each passing year. Last night, the Lowell City Council revisited the matter of how to reckon with “Industrial Society” and its future. Specifically, what is to be done with the data centers, such as the one operated by the Markley Group in South Lowell.

Like many of the issues debated on Tuesday nights, what’s relevant locally is also relevant nationally. The national debate over data centers is a political controversy that has been garnering increasing attention every month. The debate is largely driven by the astronomical energy needs of AI infrastructure – as well as the societal implications of the data/AI revolution itself.

Markley’s impact on our community has been well-documented in this space and others. Further, it seems the company or – affiliated LLCs – has/have been buying up properties in South Lowell – presumably aimed at an expansion of operations:

Against that backdrop, Councilor Scott filed the following motion:

Req. City Council approve a temporary moratorium on the permitting and approval of new or expanded data center facilities in the City of Lowell until zoning and planning regulations are updated to protect residents, including required buffer zones, noise standards, screening and protections against water and electric rate impacts.

Prior to passing with a unanimous vote in favor, the motion was slightly amended to refer to the Law Department for review. In speaking in defense of her motion, Councilor Scott noted the impact of data centers generally, and Markley specifically, as well as the city’s lack of regulation on matters such as zoning, buffer zones, landscaping, etc.

However, I thought the two best comments of the night came courtesy of Councilor Sean McDonough and a citizen speaker (there were 3 in total speaking in favor of the motion).

A South Lowell resident struck a chord when she spoke of the reality of living with a data center in her backyard and urged the Council to remember its core responsibility: protecting residents. Her point was direct and difficult to argue with. If our government can’t protect the people it serves, it is fair to ask what the purpose of government is.

For his part, Councilor McDonough, noted that the 2015 Faustian bargain to bring Markley to Lowell was struck before the explosion of AI and without fully understanding what data centers are and, logically, what their future impact could be. As a result, communities such as Lowell are “playing a game of regulatory catch-up.”

Tying back into that citizen-speaker’s point, we needed protection in 2015, and didn’t get it.

In that way, last night’s meeting can be viewed as a local footnote to Industrial Society and Its Future. Once a technological system takes hold, communities are left with only two choices: adapt to its demands or absorb its damage. That tension is now playing out in council chambers.

Markley did not arrive in Lowell by public mandate; they arrived because our government prioritized striking a deal above many other considerations. We are now faced with the consequences of that deal.

Councilor Scott’s motion and the Council’s willingness to explore a moratorium are steps in the right direction. Whether that pause proves effective remains to be seen, but the alternative is clear: a society governed by the unchecked momentum of industry rather than citizens. 

P.S. This came across my Facebook feed this morning:

I’m not a member of this group (unless a Facebook follow constitutes membership), but it seemed both timely and obviously relevant.

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