Residents in Kokomo, Indiana, are fighting a proposal to build a massive artificial intelligence facility in their county, saying it would drain local water supplies and swallow up productive farmland.
On a Sunday in early February, community members showed up at their county courthouse to send a message to local officials: the project is unwelcome.
As WRTV Indianapolis reported, opponents said the facility would consume agricultural land spanning several hundred acres, pulling it out of food production for Indiana families.
"We are not for sale," said Jack Chance, a Kokomo resident since 2020 and a candidate for Indiana House District 30. "We are not a colony for a billionaire pet project. And we will have our voice heard."
The pushback centers on practical concerns. Locals are worried that the facility would strain water reserves, reducing supplies and driving up utility bills for everyone nearby. People who just moved into newly constructed houses nearby were afraid of what a heavy industrial operation would do to their neighborhood.
Governor Mike Braun has been vocal about welcoming AI facilities to Indiana, but with a caveat: companies need to foot their own energy expenses.
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"AI is going to be the key to jobs in the future, but data centers can't stick Hoosiers with the power bill," Braun said during his State of the State address in January. "Companies that want big power in Indiana should pay their own way."
That reassurance hasn't satisfied Kokomo's residents. Arden Mlynarczyk, who has called the city home for four years, dismissed the economic promises as hollow. The jobs and revenue projections touted by supporters don't hold up against what the community stands to lose, they argued.
For the people of Kokomo, this fight is about more than one building. It's about who gets to decide how their land, water, and tax dollars are used, and they're making sure elected officials hear that loud and clear.
"If you want to come over here and just siphon our resources and then dip, the answer is no," Mlynarczyk said.
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