Citizens Subcommittee on Data Center: July 1, 2026

MEETING: Citizens Subcommittee on Data Center Siting

Date: 7/1/2026

Recorder: Kiley Blalock

SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT AGENDA ITEMS AND KEY POINTS:

·  Discussed creating a small subcommittee to organize everyone's research into one summary document.

·  Clarified that the group is only compiling information already submitted, not creating new recommendations.

·  Agreed that any additional research should be shared with the full committee before being included.

·  Approved a four-person subcommittee to prepare the summary.

·  The summary will be presented to the full committee at the next meeting for discussion and edits.

·  Next meeting will be scheduled once the subcommittee has enough time to complete its work, likely in late July or early August.

Dr. Roberto Gallardo Presentation

·  AI is driving an unprecedented demand for hyperscale data centers, and investment in this industry is expected to continue growing rapidly.

·  Data centers are not new, but hyperscale facilities are much larger and have significantly different impacts than traditional data centers.

·  Data centers should not be viewed like traditional manufacturing. They create relatively few permanent jobs but require substantial infrastructure.

·  The biggest concerns communities should evaluate include:

o    Electricity demand and impacts on the power grid.

o    Water use (though newer cooling technologies are reducing consumption).

o    Noise from backup generators and potential air quality impacts.

o    Land use and how large facilities affect community character.

·  Indiana has taken steps to require data centers to pay for most new electric infrastructure needed to serve their facilities.

·  Communities have more negotiating leverage than they did with traditional industrial development and should not be afraid to ask for significant community benefits.

·  Community Benefit Agreements (CBAs) were strongly encouraged and can include things like:

o    Infrastructure improvements

o    School and workforce investments

o    Parks and community projects

o    Environmental protections

o    Ongoing reporting and transparency

o    Annual payments or community investment funds

·  Transparency throughout the development process was emphasized as critical to maintaining public trust.

·  Suggested communities ask detailed questions about:

o    Electric demand and grid upgrades

o    Water use and water sources

o    Permanent jobs and local hiring

o    Tax revenue generated for the local community

o    Long-term responsibility if the facility closes or downsizes

·  Mentioned that AI infrastructure is evolving quickly, so today's technology and impacts may look different in the future.

·  Discussed the growing shift from AI "training" facilities to "inference" facilities, which may have different location and energy needs.

·  Shared examples of communities that have successfully negotiated strong agreements with data centers, including investments in schools, teacher bonuses, community colleges, infrastructure, and public transparency dashboards.

·  Closed by encouraging communities to ask tough questions early and negotiate from a position of strength if a data center is proposed.