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PEOPLE OVER PROFITS
The proposed CyrusOne data center appears set to receive the Sangamon County Board’s blessing on March 23, as promised tax receipts and jobs seem to outweigh any concerns about energy use, pollution – including noise pollution – loss of farmland and more. The farmers and rural neighbors who will lose their quality of life are hardly a blip on the screen.
We still don’t know which wealthy client the data center will serve, or if that client could easily address the community’s concerns before getting permission to proceed. One Zoning Board of Appeals member noted that there is no commitment to fund the incredibly expensive firefighting equipment needed to service this mega-facility. Notably, an astounding amount of diesel fuel will be housed there for its noisy, pollution-belching backup generators. CyrusOne’s representative committed to “having a conversation” about firefighting equipment sometime.
The same representative acknowledged there is no plan to address decommissioning of the plant once it inevitably stops being of service and the county is left with a 280-acre concrete campus which has destroyed prime farmland. While concerns about sticking the community with costs and unfavorable environmental effects are being raised throughout the state and country, and legislation is being introduced on these same issues in Illinois, our County Board seems ready to approve it, while most of us are trying to grasp what is going on.
Overall, the County Board is not asking the hard questions (except for Marc Ayers, and maybe a few others) and leaving the fight to the opponents. If this is a done deal, at least the county should be fighting for every single concession, protection and iron-clad written obligation to protect us, not just relying on the vague promises of CyrusOne.
Yes, AI is here, but why do we foot the bill for ultra-wealthy, secretive clients? For more information, check out the Coalition for Springfield’s Utility Future group on Facebook. And contact your county board member with questions, if not complete opposition, to this project.
Denise Church
Springfield
NEED A MORATORIUM
I am vehemently opposed to the proposed CyrusOne data center. At the very least, I ask the Sangamon County Board to approve a moratorium to allow time for the state legislation that would provide guardrails and protection for the counties where data centers are built.
Personally, my family has been in the area for over 150 years, with great-great grandpa born on his farm in 1872. What do we want for our children and their children? I know I want clean air and water, the protection of our natural spaces and wildlife and protection of their health. Increasing dependence on fossil fuels is driving climate change, an increase in extreme temperatures and weather events.
We are now experiencing a drought in Illinois. Yes, we need progress and business, but not at the cost of our environment.
Data centers are tied to extreme noise, pollution and health problems for those living near them. Residents near a CyrusOne data center in Aurora now dealing with broken promises and intolerable conditions. One resident stated it sounded like a helicopter landing on his roof, day and night, that he can feel the vibrations in his home.
I understand the allure of promised jobs. I attended the public informational meeting in December. I have numerous friends in construction and those that are union members. I was sorry to see that most left before information was shared that most of the data centers CyrusOne installs are pre-fabricated. The one in Aurora was assembled in three months. There are no guarantees the handful of long-term positions will be filled with local residents.
The cost is too high for short-term benefits. We must take the cost to our environment and health into consideration, as well as the beauty and value of the adjoining properties. I don’t know how you could responsibly move this forward without a reasonable moratorium.
Andrea Walters
Sangamon County resident
BE PROACTIVE
I am a longtime Sangamon County resident and someone with a 31-year career in technical sales and global enterprise roles with Hitachi, where I worked extensively with data-driven environments and some of the world’s largest companies. Because of that background, I fully understand the role data centers play in the modern digital economy, and I strongly support responsible growth in this sector. I welcome the opportunities this type of development can bring to our region.
That said, I also understand the long-term electrical and economic impacts associated with large, constant-load customers. While I have personally reduced my exposure to rising utility costs through residential solar, many of my neighbors and fellow residents cannot. For them, electricity is already a significant monthly expense, and even modest increases can create real hardship.
Even when a data center pays for its direct interconnection and substation needs, its presence affects the broader grid. Large new loads can influence capacity markets, wholesale pricing and long-term transmission planning – costs that ultimately flow to everyday Ameren and co-op customers. If future demand projections change or the facility ever scales back, cooperatives in particular may face stranded infrastructure that must be absorbed by remaining members.
I am not raising these points in opposition to the project. Rather, I want to ensure that foreseeable risks are addressed proactively, and that long-term protections for ratepayers are included in the planning process. Transparency around power-supply agreements, minimum-demand obligations, and ratepayer safeguards is essential so that both the benefits and the risks of this project are understood and responsibly managed.
Lewis Todd Winning
Sangamon County resident
This article appears in March 19-25, 2026.
