They’re fighting datacenters in rural Georgia – and hope to inspire other communities

Coweta county could become third in state history to stage referendum, letting residents challenge a policy or decision

A post-church downpour didn't deter hundreds of people from showing up at Morgan's Market on a recent Sunday afternoon to sign a petition aimed at giving people in rural Coweta county, Georgia, the chance to vote on a datacenter known as Project Sail and prohibit other datacenters and cryptocurrency mining operations from moving forward.

It was one of about a dozen petition-signing events held in the area in a push that launched several weeks ago. As of Friday, organizers said they had collected about 6,500 signatures; the goal is about 14,000. Located less than an hour south-west of Atlanta, Coweta county has about 160,000 residents. Two-thirds of the county voted for Trump.