‘We want to stop it’: Jasper County residents raise money for legal help against data center
Jasper County, Indiana residents are actively raising $10,000 for legal counsel to fight against Amazon's Project Rise data center development. They express concerns about property values, noise, water quality, and environmental impacts, alleging the project was fast-tracked without proper review. Local officials and Amazon state the project followed legal standards and will mitigate negative effects.
Residents of Jasper County, Indiana, are actively opposing Amazon's $7 billion Project Rise data center in Kankakee Township, raising $10,000 for legal counsel to halt the development. Cynthia North, a Wheatfield resident living near the construction site, voices significant concerns regarding property values, noise, and water quality, stating the area will no longer be livable. Fellow resident Georgette Aguilar, who lives six miles south of the site, emphasizes the community's desire to stop the project through any legal means.
The activists' GoFundMe aims to hire land-use counsel to investigate whether the project has adhered to industrial land use rules and to demand enforcement of permits and public process. Ashley Williams, executive director of Just Transition Northwest Indiana, an advocacy group supporting the residents, alleges that Amazon fast-tracked the data center without standard zoning procedures, environmental reviews, or community safeguards. JTNWI data estimates the data center will use 22,000 to 27,000 gallons of water daily and include 13 buildings on 321 acres, posing threats to water supply, quality of life, and farmland.
Conversely, Josh Weissman, director of infrastructure capacity delivery at Amazon Web Services, affirmed Amazon's commitment to the project, stating they collaborated with county officials, held an open house, and will continue engaging with residents. He addressed electricity concerns by stating Amazon will directly fund all power costs, bring 2,600 megawatts of new generation, and save NIPSCO customers approximately $1.25 billion over 15 years. Jasper County Attorney Eric Beaver, representing the Board of Commissioners, stated that the county's approval processes complied with legal standards and that they are unaware of any legal action to halt the project. Beaver further asserted that the data center would not draw groundwater, using 8-10 million gallons of water annually for cooling, comparable to a golf course, and that NIPSCO customers would not see increased electricity rates due to the project. Amazon is also investing $25 million in local water infrastructure for Wheatfield.
Despite the visible progress at the Project Rise site and the reassurances from Amazon and county officials, residents like North and Aguilar remain frustrated, believing their concerns were disregarded during the approval process. They express fears about the long-term consequences for their community but remain resolute in their fight to stop the data center.