Caddo Commissioner Ken Epperson opposed the approval of the Shreveport City Council of the special use permit for a proposed data center that is in his Commission district.
The Shreveport City Council UNANIMOUSLY approved the data center. Epperson’s opposition arguments were proven to lack merit by speakers at that council meeting.
Epperson, who loves to travel on the taxpayer’s dime, has proposed Commission travel to Shelby County (Memphis, Tenn.) to “visit local government, and surrounding communities, to gather information relative to data center development.”
Epperson was NOT invited to travel to a data center in Virginia with councilwoman Ursula Bowman and fellow commissioners Stormy Gage-Watts and Greg Young. They visited a state-of-the-art data center like the one proposed for Shreveport. All three came back with glowing endorsements of the proposed data center
Epperson has obviously chosen Shelby County because of the controversies over the construction by Elon Musk of a data center.
Musk did not gain proper permitting. Musk brought in dozens of diesel generators on flatbeds to power the facility until the power plant was built.
Speakers at the Council meeting made several commitments that are legally enforceable:.
1. Diesel generators would not be used during the construction phase
2. Once constructed, diesel generators will only be used for backup power
3. AEP/SWEPCO has adequate Capacity in its power grid for the data center.
Epperson is clearly selecting the worst possible data center location to visit. Hopefully some of the commissioners will remind him that any visit should be to Virginia. In reality this trip is not needed after two commissioners traveled at no expense to the Commission.
Epperson's request no doubt sends a bad message for Caddo Parish. His personal ego is obviously overriding the best interests of the parish.
John came to Shreveport in January of 1977 when he was transferred to Barksdale AFB.
He’s been active in Shreveport politics since deciding to make Shreveport his home.
John practiced law for 40 years and he now monitors local politics. He regularly attends Shreveport City Council and Caddo Parish Commission meetings.
John is published weekly in The Inquisitor, bi-monthly in The Forum News, and frequently in the Shreveport Times.
He enjoys addressing civic groups on local government issues and elections.