St. Joseph County residents urge officials to renegotiate data center tax incentives, seek environmental protections
St. Joseph County residents are expressing deep concerns about the impacts of large data centers built by Amazon and Microsoft, citing significant resource consumption and environmental effects. An advocacy group, We Make Indiana, is proposing a "fair share agreement" with Microsoft and urging state and county officials to reconsider tax exemptions granted to these companies.
Residents of St. Joseph County, Indiana, are voicing strong concerns over the economic and environmental impacts of massive data centers being constructed in the region by Amazon in New Carlisle and Microsoft in Granger. They argue that generous tax incentives, including a 50-year state sales tax exemption and local abatements, mean the community receives too little in return while bearing the burden of high electricity and water consumption, air quality degradation from backup generators, noise, and light pollution.
Bill Schalliol, St. Joseph County Executive Director of Economic Development, negotiated a deal with Amazon that includes a 35-year, 85% tax exemption on servers and computer hardware, approved by both the county council and commissioners. Advocacy group We Make Indiana, led by Rabbi Shoshana Kaminsky and Pastor Ken Miller Rieman, is pushing for a "fair share agreement" with Microsoft. This proposal includes a fund to invest in local priorities such as affordable housing and education, and binding environmental protections like public reporting of utility use and safeguards for water and air quality.
We Make Indiana also calls on Republican and Democratic state legislators to repeal the statewide 50-year sales tax exemption for mega-data centers and urges county leaders to renegotiate Amazon's existing deal. The group emphasizes that these large tech companies should make proportional contributions to the well-being of the people who live in the community, given their reliance on local land, infrastructure, and public services.