Data Centers
The construction of a Microsoft hyperscale data center has been a constant headache for the people of Granger, Osceola, and Mishawaka. Regardless of what side you're on when it comes to data centers, I think we can all agree the process for approving and building them is completely broken. The Statehouse has had years to fix that process and provide reasonable protections for residents but they decided to focus on culture war issues and gerrymandering.
I support development. I would love to see vacant farmland transformed into a community center where our kids can have access to a public pool, or a childcare center to ease the burden placed on parents who live in the area. That way our local union workers still get paid and our community gets something it needs. Microsoft has not explained the benefits of building a data center in the middle of our community. Worse yet, they have hidden the costs of this project from the public and the impact it will have on our health. That is wrong and it does a disservice to our union laborers working on this project.
Our state government invited companies to build these massive data centers in Indiana and made it easy for them to bypass local opposition. Dale DeVon has not said a single word publicly about the data center. Not one word! Do you think it’s acceptable for a local elected official to have no opinion on a project of this scale that would impact his neighbors? Unlike him, I actually have a lot to say about data centers and taking back control of our communities:
As state representative, I will introduce a bill that will require companies to let local communities know exactly how much we will be spending for these projects BEFORE they break ground. No more NDAs, no more vague promises of donations to local schools, give us the hard facts in writing if you want to build in our community. We deserve a veto if a data center does not benefit us.
I will also author a bill to strengthen Indiana’s biometric privacy laws that will require big tech companies to inform Hoosiers of their data collection policies and obtain consent. This will also define when and how your personal data will be used and destroyed by these companies.
