Dear Editor:

I would like to clarify the first paragraph in the article of 8/24 discussing the unredacted data center documents in Wiscasset.

What really should have been emphasized and made more clear is that the claims about jobs and taxes were just that; they are simply claims made by the data center developer in their pitch to the town and don’t necessarily have a connection to reality.

Nationwide, data center developers have become notorious for making inflated promises, especially to small towns like Wiscasset, and then leaving communities high and dry when electricity rates spike, water use goes through the roof and compromises local supplies, local jobs do not materialize, and tax benefits disappear. That doesn’t even begin to address the potential environmental hazards of air pollution, noise, light pollution, and ground pollution. The data center companies do not have a serious interest in improving local communities, they simply have an interest in profit and will say almost anything to make that profit happen.

I applaud the Wiscasset Select Board for considering a moratorium on data center development and urge everyone to voice their support as well as vote for it if a moratorium appears on the November ballot.

Richard Davis

Wiscasset