Jersey County committee to add ag board members amid data center plan
A Jersey County committee plans to add three members to the county Agricultural Area Protection Board as scrutiny grows over Something New LLC’s proposed 18-megawatt cryptocurrency data center south of Jerseyville. About 50 residents attended a recent County Board meeting, with many speaking against the project.
The Jersey County Board’s County Offices and Public Safety Committee will consider adding Donna Moore, County Board member Ed Koenig and Pat Goetten to the Agricultural Area Protection Board. The advisory board can make recommendations to the County Board, and the proposed membership expansion appears connected to the planned cryptocurrency data center south of Jerseyville.
Something New LLC has applied to develop an 18-megawatt modular digital infrastructure facility on land owned by MJM Electric Cooperative Inc. in the county’s East Agricultural Area. Residents have voiced opposition to the proposal, while Agricultural Area Protection Board Chair Jeff Blackorby said the project’s site development plan met the requirements of the Jersey County Stormwater Ordinance.