Country music icon Willie Nelson, 93, has spoken out against plans for a data centre near Abbott, Texas, the small town where he grew up, joining a wider backlash against the facilities' environmental impact. Nelson, who has lived in nearby Austin since 1972, warned that such developments threaten rural communities' land, water and way of life, framing the issue as a fight to protect farmland and small family farms from industrial encroachment.

In a social media statement, Nelson described data centres as "loud, water thieving, light polluting" and said they risk destroying the environment around them. He argued that rural America's strength lies in open spaces, local businesses and connection to the land rather than large industrial footprints, and called for stewardship that protects farmland and food production rather than ceding control of essential resources. The statement comes as Nelson continues an active schedule, having released his 156th album, Dream Chaser, earlier this year, with his Outlaw Music Festival tour resuming on 18 August in Maryland Heights, Missouri, and a book of reflections, My Last Leaf, due out this autumn.