Residents protest data centers and question transparency
Residents in Jerseyville and Alton are protesting proposed data center and cryptocurrency mining projects, citing environmental impacts, energy consumption and concerns about future expansion. Protesters also questioned the transparency of local development groups and public officials, while one Alton resident was arrested during a demonstration and later returned to protest.
Residents in Jerseyville and Alton, Illinois, have organized protests against proposed data center developments, raising concerns about energy consumption, environmental impacts and the potential expansion of the projects. The Jerseyville proposal involves an 18-megawatt cryptocurrency mining operation, while plans for the former Alton Steel site call for a 200-megawatt data center campus that could eventually expand to 1 gigawatt if Ameren confirms sufficient power capacity.
Residents have also criticized the limited public information available about the Jersey-Green Intermodal Enterprise Zone, the Mid-American International Gateway site and the Jerseyville Economic Development Council. The Jerseyville site is currently zoned agricultural and would require annexation and a zoning change before development. In Alton, lengthy public comments at a City Council meeting focused largely on opposition to the proposed data center, and one protester was arrested for disorderly conduct before resuming demonstrations the following day.