Alabama animal shelter sues to block AI data center

The Greater Birmingham Humane Society is suing to block a neighboring $2 billion AI data center, alleging the city of Birmingham improperly fast-tracked permits. The lawsuit claims the Nebius Group project, located 160 feet from the shelter's planned $67 million campus, poses a noise risk to animals. The dispute reflects a growing nationwide trend of local opposition to data centers over environmental and community impacts.

Humane society lawsuit

• ▪A spokesperson for the city of Birmingham stated the city does not comment on ongoing litigation.
• ▪The lawsuit alleges the city of Birmingham and developers engaged in a "months-long scheme" to approve the project by sidestepping zoning rules.
• ▪The Greater Birmingham Humane Society filed a lawsuit in Jefferson County Circuit Court to block an AI data center project.

Permit approval process

• ▪The lawsuit accuses Nebius Group and the city of Birmingham of coordinating to "abuse legal processes and manipulate timelines" for a fast-tracked approval.
• ▪The lawsuit claims the four-month permit review for the data center was "lightning speed" compared to the 18-month review for the humane society's campus.

Proximity to animal shelter

• ▪The planned Greater Birmingham Humane Society campus will include an adoption center, outdoor rehabilitation areas, and foster facilities.
• ▪The Nebius Group data center, a project valued at over $2 billion, is being built about 160 feet from the humane society's planned $67 million campus.

Noise impact concerns

• ▪The humane society stated that noise from the data center could interfere with its operations and be harmful to animals and humans.
• ▪A Nebius spokesperson said the data center was designed with mitigation measures, including acoustical sound walls, grid power, and closed-loop cooling.

Nationwide data center opposition

• ▪In the first three months of 2026, at least 75 data center proposals worth an estimated $130 billion were delayed or blocked due to local opposition nationwide.
• ▪As of May 2026, over 525,000 members in at least 430 local Facebook groups were fighting against AI data centers.
• ▪Area residents have also filed separate legal action against the Nebius data center project in Birmingham.

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