Residents urge caution on proposed Vermillion RISE data center, citing water, health and infrastructure concerns
Loading...
Summary
Multiple residents told the Vermillion County Council they fear a proposed hyperscale data center at Vermillion RISE could strain local water supplies, raise electricity costs and create health risks; commissioners said they will tour a data center and that the RISE is a separate entity from the county.
Two residents used the council’s public-comment period on April 13 to press elected officials for more transparency and study before a hyperscale data center is built at the Vermillion RISE megasite.
Rhonda Air Smith, a teacher and resident, raised concerns about cryptocurrency mining and a broader move toward cashless payments tied to data-center development. "Cryptomining would be good for the county," she said the RISE board decided, but warned that a cashless society risks excluding elderly or rural residents with poor internet access and weak banking ties and urged safeguards if digital payments expanded.
Resident Nolan Myhail delivered an extended statement focused on water, infrastructure and health risks. He told the council there is a reported permit for up to "43,570,000 gallons per day" tied to data centers and said closed-loop cooling systems can still require large evaporative systems and periodic blowdowns that return chemically treated water to the environment. "That is a sneaky way of saying that they're dumping polluted water while talking about being green," Myhail said, and he cited examples in other states where residents allege water and air quality impacts.
Commissioner RJ Donovan responded that Vermillion RISE is a separate entity that collects its own taxes and is governed by an appointed board, and he said the county’s financial dealings with RISE are limited. He also said he did not believe county commissioners had signed any non-disclosure agreements concerning outside site proposals and that, while no formal contract exists, the commissioners have been in talks with prospective companies. "We are taking a tour of a data center," Donovan said; he said commissioners would seek answers at that site visit and attempt to include additional local officials on future tours.
No formal county contract or abatement request was approved at the meeting; Donovan reminded residents that if RISE sought a tax abatement it would have to come to the County Council for approval. Residents asked the council to "hit the brakes" and study potential impacts to wells, the power grid and health before committing to large-scale data-center development.
Next steps: commissioners plan a site visit to a data center later in the month; council members said they will use that visit to ask technical questions and report back to the council and the public. Any formal abatement or contract that would affect the county budget must be presented to the council for review and approval.
