Project Marvel (Bessemer)
No project stage is auto-generated. What follows is the
timeline of record — every entry dated, cited and linked to its source.
Timeline of record
- Aug 3MORATORIUM·Jefferson Co., ALAL.com · Jefferson Co., AL
- Aug 3NEWS·Jefferson Co., ALA 50-year-old Bessemer man was struck by a vehicle on Pocahontas Road early July 31 and died hours later at UAB Hospital. The driver remained at the scene and called authorities.WBRC 6 News · Jefferson Co., AL
- Aug 3HEARING·AlabamaData centers have become a central issue in Alabama elections amid public health and transparency concerns. Large artificial intelligence facilities like Project Marvel in Bessemer raise worries about noise, traffic, light pollution, water usage, and diesel generator emissions, while non-disclosure agreements have limited community access to project information.Alabama Reflector · Alabama · also at rocketcitynow.com
- Aug 2VOTE·AlabamaAlabama Public Service Commission candidates are debating whether the current "lame duck" commissioners should decide data center power contract rules as the three-member commission prepares for major restructuring. Republican candidate Jim Zeigler and Democrat Shelia McNair argue the two commissioners who lost their primaries should not make long-term decisions, while Democrat James Gordon contends the commission can still gather public input before the PSC expands to seven members in January.al.com · Alabama
- Aug 1NEWS·Jefferson Co., ALHeadline onlyWBMA · Jefferson Co., AL
- Jul 31HEARING·Lowndes Co., ALBlack Belt News Network · Lowndes Co., AL · also at Alabama Political Reporter
- Jul 31HEARING·Lowndes Co., ALU.S. Rep. Terri Sewell opposes a proposed $1.5 billion data center in Lowndes County, citing concerns about water infrastructure strain, environmental impacts demonstrated in similar projects elsewhere, and the disproportionate burden on a historically disadvantaged majority-Black community. Sewell states the project demands greater scrutiny before residents face consequences they did not choose.AL.com · Lowndes Co., AL
- Jul 26NEWS·AlabamaA 1819 News podcast episode examined data center impacts on Alabama communities, with CEO Bryan Dawson calling for transparency about power grid capacity, environmental effects, wastewater concerns, and financial benefits to localities before development proceeds.1819 News · Alabama
- Jul 25NEWS·Jefferson Co., AL
- Jul 24LAWSUIT·Jefferson Co., ALBessemer officials signed a non-disclosure agreement with Project Marvel developers that restricted public access to site plans, studies, and developer information, according to documents released after environmental groups sued. The hyperscale data center project has drawn resident opposition over concerns about pollution, water strain, and environmental impacts in the majority-Black community.Word In Black · Jefferson Co., AL
- Jul 23LAWSUIT·Jefferson Co., ALAn NDA between Bessemer and developers of a $14.5 billion data center project required the city to destroy confidential information upon request, conflicting with Alabama law requiring municipalities to preserve government records, according to the Alabama Rivers Alliance.1819 News · Jefferson Co., AL
- Jul 22ZONING·Jefferson Co., ALEnvironmental group Black Warrior Riverkeeper opposes planned data center developments in West Alabama, citing concerns about water consumption and impacts on local waterways. The issue has become central to political races, with disagreement between candidates over whether rapid data center expansion benefits or harms communities.Tuscaloosa Thread · Jefferson Co., AL
- Jul 22UTILITIES·AlabamaAL.com · Alabama
- Jul 22NEWS·Jefferson Co., ALHeadline onlyWBRC · Jefferson Co., AL
- Jul 21
- Jul 21LAWSUIT·Jefferson Co., ALThree of four Bessemer mayoral candidates oppose the $14.5 billion Project Marvel data center, citing transparency and environmental concerns, while incumbent Mayor Kenneth Gulley supports it, citing $24 million annually for school infrastructure and $16 million annually for school administration over 30 years.wvtm · Jefferson Co., AL
- Jul 21NEWS·Jefferson Co., ALA 21-year-old Bessemer man has been arrested and charged with attempted murder following a shooting on Highway 280 that critically injured another man on July 14. Rico Braxton is being held in Jefferson County Jail.WBRC · Jefferson Co., AL
- Jul 21MORATORIUMFairfield Mayor Herman Carnes Jr. revealed that Missouri-based AI infrastructure company Patmos is proposing a colocation data center in the city. The city council unanimously voted to impose a moratorium on new data center and nonprofit applications, though the ban does not apply to Patmos's current proposal.AL.com
- Jul 20HEARING·Jefferson Co., ALThe $14.5 billion Project Marvel data center has become a central issue in Bessemer's August 25 mayoral runoff, with residents expressing concerns about environmental impact and transparency. Two candidates have publicly engaged with the controversy, while an August 9 forum will allow voters to question all four candidates about the project.wvtm · Jefferson Co., AL
- Jul 20ZONINGFairfield will hold a public town hall on July 28 to discuss a proposed colocation data center that city officials are considering for economic development. Few details about the project have been publicly released, though the city plans to gather resident feedback before making a final decision.Yellowhammer News
- Jul 18LAWSUIT·Jefferson Co., ALBirmingham residents protested at Railroad Park Saturday against a Nebius data center under construction in Oxmoor Valley, part of a nationwide effort opposing data centers. A lawsuit challenging the project's zoning compliance resumes August 12.wvtm · Jefferson Co., AL
- Jul 17LAWSUIT·Jefferson Co., ALHeadline onlyYahoo · Jefferson Co., AL
- Jul 17NEWS·Jefferson Co., ALHeadline onlyWBRC · Jefferson Co., AL
- Jul 16NEWS·Jefferson Co., ALHeadline onlyMSN · Jefferson Co., AL