It was only a matter of time before Lake County residents began challenging the siting of data centers in the area. Allowing the vast server warehouses in corporate neighborhoods is being debated across the nation.
Despite the massive project two years into its planning stage, Grayslake residents are now recognizing the impact a data center set for the so-called “central range” zone may have on the bedroom suburb. They aren’t the only ones wondering what future lies in store with the 135-acre proposal, the second-largest in Illinois after one advancing in Joliet in Will County.
Homeowners have been attending recent Village Board sessions questioning the burden the data center campus may have on residents, current lifestyles and the rapid pace of the development. Data centers are well-known for their energy-draining needs to run upward of 5,000 computer servers, and usage of large amounts of water to cool the linked nexus.
It reminds one of what was said in the 1953 Technicolor film “Thunder Bay” starring matinee idol James Stewart, which detailed the clash between oil wildcatters and shrimpers on the Gulf Coast of Louisiana: “Progress is not without fault, my friend.”
Progress is what the centers are all about, according to supporters of Big Tech. They are needed, we are told, to keep up with China in the global AI race and to push the surge of AI in all walks of American life.
The ensuing battle over data centers will easily match similar David vs. Goliath trends over the placement of logistics centers across Lake County. Instead of semi-trailer rigs spewing air pollutants while idling at the warehouses, data centers pull enormous amounts of electricity, housing computer systems that help train artificial intelligence criteria.
There are an estimated 4,000 data centers already in operation across the U.S., mostly in Virginia, Texas and California, according to one estimate. Another 3,000, including the Grayslake project, are planned or under construction.
Developers of the centers like Midwestern locations because of a seemingly endless amount of energy available for use and a lower risk of natural disasters, unlike, say, California. Those planning for the data centers must have ignored the frequency of tornadoes in many locales in the nation’s interior.
Midwest states also enjoy doling out tax breaks to lure data centers, which offer meaningful construction trades jobs. Following buildout, they require few employees — software developers, product managers and marketing experts — for operation.
But lots of property-tax revenue, with little in the way of providing civic services in return. Grayslake officials expect the data center, with up to 20 buildings built to provide $300 million in income for Avon Township taxing districts over two decades. That’s worth it, they maintain.
Last week, the Citizens Action Coalition of Indiana and 26 other public interest groups called on state and local officials to pause the pace of developing data centers in the Hoosier State, according to the Post-Tribune newspaper. Indiana has about 60 data center proposals awaiting approval.
The groups called for a moratorium on new data center development in order to allow local governments more time to adopt policies, investigate new zoning codes and hear community input. Currently, there is little oversight over the impact of data centers and the nascent technology of AI. Thirteen Indiana counties have enacted data-center moratoriums.
A recent poll conducted by the Pew Research Center has found that citizens are concerned about rising electricity rates caused by data centers and the water use data centers require, among other issues. According to the May 8 front-page News-Sun story by Joseph States, the Grayslake facility will have some 1.2 million gigawatts of leasable electricity, equivalent to the energy use of one million homes.
One study suggests that within a couple of years, the electricity needed for data centers is going to be around 10% to 15% of total nationwide electricity demand. In Illinois, that would put a severe strain on efforts to replace fossil fuels with renewable energy sources, although a few data centers are linked to solar power for their energy needs.
While it may be too late for Grayslake residents, officials in other Lake County communities should start looking into what exactly having a power-hungry data center in one’s backyard really means. Studies need to be taken now as the insatiable AI march is turning into a stampede.
Charles Selle is a former News-Sun reporter, political editor and editor. sellenews@gmail.com. X @sellenews
