As Illinois lawmakers debate POWER Act, concerns about data centers spill into rural communities

This article was originally published by The Daily Yonder.

On a Monday night in late April, nearly 100 people gathered in a public library conference room in Bloomington, Illinois. Sipping on seltzer water and snacking on granola bars, the crowd’s focus was on a projector screen, where a title slide read, “Let’s Talk Data Centers!” A few of the event-goers had brought notebooks, their pens poised to take notes during the presentation. Others held up their phones to snap photos of slides showing Illinois’ power grid and maps of its water resources.

The event, first conceptualized by Bloomington librarian Kerrie Parker over the winter, was a joint effort between the library and several area nonprofits to educate people about data centers in central Illinois. Parker, who’s been with the library for 14 years, said she was surprised by the turnout.

But on the heels of a controversial decision to approve a $500 million data center in Sangamon County, Illinois, just southwest of Bloomington, awareness around data centers in the region appears to be growing. At a time when seven in ten Americans nationwide oppose the construction of AI data centers in their area, according to a May 2026 Gallup poll, the turnout at April’s informational session is a testament to the interest in increasing community protections around data centers in central Illinois.

CyrusOne’s Victory in Sangamon County

On April 7, the Sangamon County Board voted 17-10 to approve a data center development on 280 acres of farmland in rural Talkington Township, Illinois, about 30 miles southwest of Springfield. The decision came after months of debate between community members over the facility, which will  be built by Dallas, Texas-based CyrusOne. Tensions reached a boiling point surrounding the April 7 County Board meeting, with an organized protest taking place the day before the vote outside the office of the Springfield Sangamon Growth Alliance, which is promoting the data center.

While more than 60 people initially signed up to speak at the April 7 meeting, only around a dozen people shared their opinions after the allotted time was cut short at an hour, the Illinois Times reported. Most of the speakers were union leaders and workers, who were supportive of the data center because of the 500 construction jobs CyrusOne has said it will create.

Ryan McCrady, the president and CEO of the Springfield Sangamon Growth Alliance, said that the county is currently working with CyrusOne on permitting for the data center. The hiring process for construction jobs will only begin after a building permit has been issued, McCrady said.

In a statement to the Daily Yonder, a spokesperson for CyrusOne said that the company “remains focused on creating long-term opportunities for local skilled trades, workforce development, and regional economic growth,” and that “construction and hiring timelines are still being finalized as part of the broader development planning process.”

Since the vote, some Sangamon County activists who oppose the data center have directed their energy toward state-level data center regulation.

Introducing the POWER Act

In Springfield, Illinois, the state legislature’s debate over a bill to regulate data centers continues. The proposed POWER Act, which stands for Protecting Our Water and Energy Resources, requires data centers to apply for water impact permits, use efficient computing methods, and release information to the public around infrastructure costs and community benefits. Currently, the bill has more than two dozen sponsors in the House and Senate.

Throughout this session, the House has held public hearings on the issues that the bill will address. A big concern among residents around the state is data center water usage, said House Majority Leader Robyn Gabel in an interview with the Daily Yonder. Data centers can consume large amounts of water for cooling, a necessary process to keep servers from overheating.

“We see some risks in terms of [data centers] using the water from aquifers and possibly draining them down and not having enough water for farmers or for communities,” said Rep. Gabel, who introduced the POWER Act in the House.

At an April 22 hearing focused on water, the data center industry weighed-in on concerns about the facilities’ impact on the state’s water resources. Brad Tietz, the Midwest director of state policy for the Data Center Coalition, the industry’s national trade association, said he agreed with water and environmental advocates on the need to reform Illinois water policy.

“There is no meaningful unified planning occurring, no statewide framework, and that is resulting in an inadequate water supply plan,” Tietz said during his comments. “The data center industry, unlike most other industries, can be a partner in solving these challenges.” Still, Tietz added that “targeting one industry to address system-wide problems is not the right response”.

Under the POWER Act, data centers would be required to use the most efficient cooling method for their equipment. Currently, closed-loop systems offer one way to reduce potable water consumption, but Rep. Gabel said that the language in the bill is purposefully not prescriptive to leave the door open for future innovation.

“There’s a lot of research into what could be even more efficient. So we want to make sure that we don’t legislate something that is outdated before it even becomes effective,” she said.

Data Center Regulation Across Illinois

Beyond Sangamon County, communities around central Illinois have taken different approaches to data center development. In Champaign County, board members voted to enact a year-long moratorium on data center development on April 23, in response to concerns from local residents over the facilities’ energy and water needs. The moratorium will give a task force formed by the county the time to develop new zoning and permitting standards for rural parts of the county that could be attractive for future data center development.

One member of Champaign County’s Data Centers Activities Task Force, Andrew Rehn, is the director of climate policy at the statewide environmental nonprofit Prairie Rivers Network. Rehn, who is also lobbying for the POWER Act at the state level, said that there is broad support across the state for regulatory action on data centers. In April, the Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition, of which Prairie Rivers Network is a member, polled Illinois voters and found that 68% support the POWER Act, across demographic and partisan lines.

“The reality is that of the people who aren't in support of the POWER Act, a good percentage of those don't want data centers at all,” Rehn said, referencing support for measures like a state-wide moratorium, which is not part of the POWER Act.

The Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition is planning a lobby day at the state capitol on May 30 to advocate for the passage of the POWER Act before the legislative session closes on May 31.

Back in Bloomington, those gathered at the public library discussed their rising electricity bills and their concerns about how data centers could exacerbate water struggles during future droughts. Many communities in central Illinois have been “under severe drought conditions and have received below average rainfall since mid August 2025,” according to the city of Decatur website.

At the end of the evening, librarian Kerrie Parker said she was excited about the engagement from community members. “I felt this was an important discussion, because AI is not going away,” Parker said.  In light of the rush to build data centers in small towns, Parker said she’s thinking about how to ensure rural communities like hers aren’t left out of decision-making around the facilities.. “How can we make this a good thing?” she added.