National ‘Data Center Revolt’ bus tour heading to Effingham County on Tuesday

SPRINGFIELD, Ga. (WTOC) - A nationwide bus tour protesting large-scale data centers is making a stop in Effingham County on Tuesday afternoon.

The grassroots conservative organization Humans First announced it is bringing its “Data Center Revolt” tour to Springfield as local opposition continues against “Project Camellia,” OpenAI’s proposed $20 billion, 1,400-acre data center campus.

SEE: Effingham County residents protest as $20B data center project moves forward

The bus tour is scheduled to arrive at the Effingham County Administrative Complex, located at 804 S. Laurel St., with a press conference planned for 3 p.m.

Organizers launched the nationwide campaign last week in Dallas at the Republican Midterm Convention, aiming to visit communities across the country to demand transparency and answers regarding hyperscale data center developments. Effingham County marks the fifth stop on the tour, which is headed to Washington, D.C., before wrapping up in California’s Silicon Valley in October.

“Effingham County deserves to have its voice heard, and right now OpenAI isn’t listening,” Humans First Chair Amy Kremer said in a statement. “Project Camellia is a 1,400-acre, $20 billion campus negotiated behind closed doors, with NDAs signed and residents sidelined from the start. OpenAI says the impacts will be minimal and the benefits enormous, but how can anyone trust that when they won’t even talk to the people who live here?”

The group says the tour focuses on addressing resident concerns about data centers’ potential strain on local water supplies, rising electricity costs, and noise disruptions.

The stop comes amid mounting community pushback in Effingham County, where residents have organized protests and attended local forums to challenge the proposed project.