More Opposition Announced for Google Data Center

INDIANAPOLIS–16 members of the Indianapolis City-County Council now say they oppose a Google data center in Franklin Township.

A formal vote on that is supposed to happen at a meeting on September 22. The latest two people to announce their opposition to it on Wednesday were Indianapolis City-County Council Vice President Ali Brown as well as District 4 City-County Councilor Nick Roberts. They issued a joint written statement.

Roberts elaborated his thoughts on it in a video he posted to social media.

“Among my top reasons for the deep concern I have about the project is the impact this might have on electricity rates and water usage in Indianapolis. We’ve already seen AES Indiana propose a rate increase. I’m also very concerned about the impact this will have on our water sources,” said Roberts.

Roberts acknowledged the importance of the tech sector and thanked Google for their interest in Indianapolis.

“I just don’t think this project is what we need right now in Indianapolis, especially when Google only plans on generating 50 permanent jobs,” said Roberts.

He says he went into this project with an open mind and a listening ear, but he says the feedback he has gotten on the project has been overwhelmingly negative.

At least 20 data centers are under consideration across the state, but the Franklin Township project is the first within Indianapolis city limits. Google is building another data center in Fort Wayne.

Data centers are home to large computer servers that process online activity, such as sending emails, uploading photos or utilizing artificial intelligence.

More Opposition Announced for Proposed Google Data Center in Franklin Township  was originally published on wibc.com