RICHLAND PARISH, La. — Construction on Meta’s largest artificial intelligence data center in the U.S. has transformed a quiet corner of northeast Louisiana — and not everyone is welcoming the change.
Across the street from the sprawling project site, Lisa Hopkins and her family are living through constant disruption. The noise pauses only after dark, when heavy machinery finally stops rumbling.
"It's always noise, all the time," Hopkins told CBS News, adding, "We honestly didn't know how big of a scale it was gonna be... Some mornings it's hard to get out of our driveway, just because of all the dump trucks."
The $10 billion facility — equivalent to the size of 70 football fields — was approved by state officials in August with promises of long-term economic gains. Supporters argue the development will bring new technology jobs and investment into rural Louisiana. But locals say those benefits come with steep trade-offs.
The state’s primary utility provider, Entergy Louisiana, is committing $550 million for a new transmission line to power the data center — a cost that consumer advocates say won’t be paid by Meta.
Instead, 1.1 million customers may foot the bill.
Experts also warn that soaring energy demand from the data center could drive up natural gas costs statewide. The concern is especially significant in Richland Parish, where nearly 25% of residents live below the poverty line.
Paul Arbaje, an energy analyst with the Union of Concerned Scientists, emphasized the scale of the project:
"This single data center is set to span an amount of land that is about 70 football fields worth of land, and it's going to consume roughly three times the amount of electricity that the entire city of New Orleans consumes on an annual basis," Arbaje said.
Hopkins said her household is already feeling the financial strain. Their power bill's fuel cost jumped about $13 per month compared to last year — before the project even comes online.
Louisiana isn’t alone. Analysts from the Institute of Energy Economics and Financial Analysis report residents in at least 13 states are paying more as data center construction booms.
"We're all kind of sharing the pain in that fight," Arbaje said. "It's up to state regulators, really, to step in and protect consumers and make sure that tech companies and utility companies are paying their fair share for this development."
Meta argues the project is a catalyst for growth, saying it is working closely with Entergy to reduce cost burdens and fund consumer support.
Katie Comer, Meta’s head of community development in North America, told CBS News the company has:
— Invested $1 million in bill-pay assistance for low-income households
— Committed $200 million to local infrastructure and school partnerships
"We are actively on the ground every day. We want to listen and learn and meet the community where they're at," Comer said.
"This community as a whole is incredibly special," Comer added. "We've been very proud of the work that we've been able to do together. I am extremely excited about the work that we will do in the future together."
Entergy has insisted customers will see benefits too, claiming resilience upgrades could reduce electricity bills by up to 10%.
But longtime resident Donna Collins isn’t convinced.
"but I'm going to have to see it to believe it."
Collins said she and others felt decisions were made without adequate public notice or input.
Hopkins echoed that sentiment, saying she received no hearing notices in the mail.
"It's not fair. It's not something that we asked to be put here," Hopkins said.
Data centers have exploded nationwide as demand for AI tools grows. But the infrastructure required — land, energy, water — is increasingly clashing with local communities.
Louisiana officials say Meta’s presence reflects a national shift toward technology-led development. Critics counter that the benefits are uneven — and that working families shouldn’t bear the cost of powering Silicon Valley’s ambitions.
What comes next for Richland Parish may serve as a blueprint — or a warning — for other regions courting tech giants.
Originally reported by Kati Weis in CBS News.
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