‘The people united will never be defeated’: Protesters voice concerns about data center impacts on environment

Dozens of students and community members, including members of Students for Environmental Concerns (SECS) and Resist AI Data Centers in Champaign County, protested against the construction of AI data centers in Champaign County, Illinois. The protest, held on the Main Quad at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, highlighted environmental concerns, specifically the potential contamination and drainage of the Mahomet Aquifer, which supplies water to over a million people across 14 central Illinois counties. Speakers from various local organizations, including Prairie Rivers Network and the U of I’s Thomas M. Siebel Center for Computer Science, shared insights on the environmental and human impacts of data centers.

The demonstration comes as the Champaign County Data Center and Activities Task Force works to develop a local ordinance to regulate data center construction. Task force chair Emily Rodriguez, vice chair of the Champaign County Board, indicated a draft ordinance is expected by November. The county's authority to enact an outright ban is limited by its non-home-rule status, but it can regulate land usage through zoning.

The proposed ordinance includes considerations like a required decommissioning bond for developers to ensure proper site cleanup if data centers shut down. The task force's efforts are ongoing while a 12-month moratorium on data centers over 10,000 square feet remains in effect until April 2027. Opponents, including Ruth Yontz and Antonia Herbstreit of Resist AI Data Centers, continue to provide public input at task force meetings, advocating for stronger regulations to protect the environment.