Daily Digest — April 20, 2026
Data Centers Emerge as Election Issue in Indiana
Data centers have become a contentious campaign topic in Vanderburgh County, Indiana, according to the Courier & Press. Consumer advocate groups such as the Citizens Action Coalition of Indiana have raised concerns about utility bill impacts, pollution, and water usage, noting AI data centers can consume 1 to 5 million gallons of water daily.
In Southwestern Indiana, a project known as "Project Raider" in Gibson or Posey County is preparing for a 600-megawatt load addition, prompting CenterPoint Energy to apply for a new substation with an expected in-service date of June 2027. In Warrick County, resident opposition led to the cancellation of an informational presentation by Utah-based Sourcecolo, and the Warrick County Area Plan Commission is now drafting a data center ordinance.
At the state level, several bills requiring impact studies and stricter regulations failed during the 2026 session, but two passed:
- **HEA 1406** — mandates the Indiana Finance Authority and Indiana Economic Development Commission to report on local and regional data center impacts, including utility costs and water supplies, by November
- **House Bill 1210** — directs at least 1% of future data center tax savings to local governments
Ten Indiana counties, including White County, have enacted six-month moratoriums on data center development to revise zoning ordinances.
Data Center Opposition Reaches National Political Stage
Local opposition to data centers is increasingly shaping state and national politics ahead of the midterm elections, according to NPR. City council members in Festus and Independence, Missouri, lost their seats due to support for data center projects, and in Edgecombe County, North Carolina, a Vietnam War veteran unseated an incumbent commissioner after the board approved a data center near his home.
State legislatures are responding with a range of measures:
- Maine's Democratic-controlled Legislature approved a pause on most data center construction
- Florida Governor Ron DeSantis advocated for regulations on water and energy usage, leading to a bill with those guardrails
- Virginia is contemplating eliminating a sales tax exemption for data center facilities
At the federal level, President Trump has acknowledged local concerns with a "Ratepayer Protection Pledge" urging AI companies to self-supply energy, though policy analysts note a lack of strong enforcement mechanisms in the proposals. In Louisiana, residents near a Meta data center construction site reported brown, foul-smelling water, as reported by NPR.
Social Circle Planning Commission Advances 450-Acre Data Center Complex
The Social Circle Planning Commission unanimously recommended that the city council approve annexation, rezoning, special-use permitting, and future land use map changes for a 123-acre parcel at 1402 Roy Malcom Road, according to The Covington News. This parcel is the final component of a planned 450-acre data center complex in the Georgia community.
The four present commissioners — Curtis Mullins, Signora Jackson, Glenda Brown, and Chairman John Gardner — voted in favor. Scott Greene of Thomas & Hutton, representing the property owner, addressed traffic concerns on Roy Malcom Road, stating that roadway improvements would accompany new access points and tractor-trailer traffic would be minimal post-construction.
Previous tracts in the development were approved in stages:
- 150-acre parcel cleared for data center use in November
- 181-acre tract approved in September 2023, at which point the city council also instituted a moratorium on new data center requests
- The moratorium expired January 27 after new regulations were approved; the current application was filed February 9 under those new rules
Project representatives indicate they have an "end user" for the facilities, though the company has not been identified. If the city council grants final approval at its anticipated April 21 meeting, construction could begin this fall.
Kent, Ohio Joins Growing List of Cities Enacting Data Center Moratoriums
Kent City Council unanimously approved a one-year moratorium on new large-scale data centers at its April 15 meeting, according to the Akron Beacon Journal. Ward 6 Councilman Jeff Clapper initially proposed a six-month halt, which was extended to one year through an amendment. The city cited significant energy, water, and infrastructure demands as the basis for the pause.
Kent joins several communities in Ohio's Summit and Portage counties taking similar steps:
- Tallmadge recently enacted a six-month moratorium
- Ravenna and Streetsboro held public meetings on data center development
- Shalersville extended an existing moratorium
- Norton rejected "Project Triton," a data center proposal by Quantum HPC for a 90-acre site, in October
Ohio is already home to nearly 200 data centers, many concentrated around Columbus, according to the report.
Kenilworth, NJ Residents Oppose CoreWeave's $1.8B Data Center Project
Residents of Kenilworth, New Jersey, are pushing back against a $1.8 billion AI data center being built by CoreWeave at the Northeast Science and Technology Center (NEST) campus, according to News12 New Jersey. The project involves converting a former Merck & Co. building and had previously received Borough Council approval, but residents have collected over 1,500 petition signatures opposing it.
Concerns center on water quality, flood risk, and potential electricity cost increases. Kenilworth Mayor Linda Karlovitch has stated that CoreWeave will fund all required transmission upgrades and pay sales tax on power, and that the facility will use a closed-loop cooling system to minimize local water use. The project is expected to create over 140 jobs — with a minimum of 100 required as part of a state tax credit received in 2025 — and is slated for completion by the end of 2027.
The Kenilworth planning board has scheduled the data center for discussion at its April 28 meeting. Separately, New Jersey state officials introduced legislation this session to regulate how data centers source their power, though it had not passed as of April 19.
