National ‘Data Center Revolt’ bus tour stops in Imperial following major legal victory

IMPERIAL, Calif. (KYMA) - A high-profile courtroom battle over Big Tech infrastructure has put the Imperial Valley in the national spotlight, drawing a cross-country bus tour to the region following a major legal victory for local residents.

The "Data Center Revolt Tour," spearheaded by the conservative grassroots organization Humans First, made a major stop at Imperial's Eager Park on Friday.

The tour, which spans 35 cities across 27 states and covers more than 7,500 miles, is traveling the country to protest large-scale hyperscale data center developments.

Tour organizers stated that Imperial is a historic and highly unique milestone on their route because it represents a community that successfully fought back and won.

The controversy stems from a proposal by a Huntington Beach developer to build a nearly one-million-square-foot, 330-megawatt hyperscale data center on county land directly adjacent to the Victoria Ranch neighborhood.

Local residents quickly formed an advocacy group called "NIMBY Imperial," gathering more than 3,400 petition signatures in opposition.

Despite public outcry, the county's Board of Supervisors initially approved the project in a 4-1 vote in April.

However, the opposition didn't stop there. The City of Imperial and the Sierra Club filed lawsuits over the project's environmental impacts.

By June, the county reversed course, unanimously enacting a construction moratorium on new data center projects.

The ultimate turning point came on September 9, when a judge ruled that the county had illegally shielded the developer from a mandatory environmental review, effectively throwing out the project's approval.

The developer has since announced intentions to appeal the ruling.

While Humans First is a conservative organization, leadership emphasizes that the fight over utility infrastructure and agricultural land goes beyond traditional political lines.

"We have been watching from afar what the local residents have been doing here," said Kylie Jane Kremer, Senior Advisor for Humans First. "We support that and want to show Imperial as an example to other communities...that when the American people stand together, there's nothing that can stop them. Big Tech may have all this money, but they cannot defeat the will of the American people."

Kremer stressed that the issue is inherently local, adding, "This isn't really Republican or Democrat. It's about people coming together and figuring out what’s best for their communities."

Given the group's conservative roots, organizers were asked about President Donald Trump's historical support for technology and data infrastructure developments.

Group representatives noted they believe his perspective is shifting as environmental and community concerns become clearer.

"We kind of think the president is getting some better advice through the process," said Tom Gaitens, Senior Advisor for Humans First. "He has worked his way to us, and I think his first focus was trying to bring jobs to those places. I think he's now transitioning a little bit and saying, 'You know, it's not just the jobs...we have to protect those environmental issues.' He sees that now. I see him aligning a lot more with us now than he was seven months ago."

The Data Center Revolt Tour continues its 24-day journey across the United States, advocating for protections on farmland, water resources, and local municipal control.

For more information on the tour schedule or the organization's platform, visit the official website.