Willie Nelson is calling on Americans to oppose the construction of data centers that support artificial intelligence, a matter that’s fueled environmental concerns across the country.

The country music icon — in a social media post on Tuesday — referred to his upbringing in Abbott, Texas, a city where he still has a home with farmland where he “can still see stars at night.”

“And now our community, like many others, needs to fight against data centers invading our land. The last thing we need is a loud, water thieving, light polluting, data center anywhere near our town (or any others for that matter),” he stressed. “The strength of rural America has never come from big industrial footprints. It comes from generations of people, open spaces, local businesses, and a connection to the land.”

To whom it may concern and to everyone else as well, pic.twitter.com/GQxuxUj3ie

Nelson is a longtime environmentalist who, along with John Mellencamp and Neil Young, founded Farm Aid, a concert to benefit American farmers. His message arrives amid a data center boom in Texas that’s seen community pushback near the singer-songwriter’s hometown and beyond.

With demand for data centers in Texas expected to double by 2028 and the Lone Star State poised to have the world’s largest market for such facilities by 2030, local opponents to their construction have warned that the projects will lead to an overconsumption of water and electricity while also causing pollution and noise.

The issue has crept into political races, as well, with Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R), who is running for reelection this year, recently calling for a ban on data center development in rural neighborhoods, a notable shift from several months before when he referred to his state as the “epicenter of AI development.”

A majority of Americans are opposed to the construction of data centers in their communities, per the results of a Reuters/Ipsos poll shared last month.

Nelson, in his message on social media, emphasized that America deserves “thoughtful stewardship that doesn’t steal farmland (where our essential shared-food is grown) and small family farmers’ livelihoods, and not data centers that only destroy the environment around them.”

“Whoever controls food and water, controls the masses,” he wrote.

“Let’s not allow our own demise or give up control over necessary resources in the U.S. and especially in Abbott.”

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