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Residents urge moratorium on hyperscale data centers, link project to rising utility bills
Summary
Multiple Hobart City residents urged the council to impose a temporary moratorium on large data centers, citing potential environmental impacts, higher utility rates and incomplete public disclosures on Amazon-related agreements; an attached advisory memo outlined a six-month ordinance process.
Several Hobart City residents used the Jan. 21 public-comment period to urge elected officials to pause large data-center development and to involve the community in decisions tied to Amazon-related agreements.
"We pay about $234 per 1,000 kWh," resident Jessica Metros said, arguing that NIPSCO rates in the area are substantially higher than other utilities and that a formal petition under I.C. 8-1-2-54 (a so-called Rule 10 petition) could compel a state investigation into rates. Metros said many neighbors are retired or on fixed incomes and are struggling to pay bills.
Barbara Koteles asked the council to impose a six-month moratorium on hyperscale centers while the city hires independent consultants to perform infrastructure and environmental audits, hold public hearings, and draft performance standards. Koteles cited Home Rule authority (I.C. 36-1-3) and the zoning authority of plan commissions and legislative bodies (I.C. 36-7-4) as legal bases for local action.
Resident Angelita Soriano said residents have filed an appeal in Lake Superior Court challenging the ERA designation and tax abatement resolutions related to the project and asked the council to halt further approvals while litigation is pending. Mayor Huddlestun responded that development agreements are sometimes approved before rezones, and that Plan Commission review is an independent process.
An attached advisory memo from Phillip Carranco and Jessica Ayala (carrxengergy) provided a legal and procedural roadmap for a temporary moratorium, recommending immediate emergency ordinances, consultant studies (hydrology, acoustics), public listening sessions, and a timeline to adopt new zoning performance standards within six months.
The council did not take formal action on a moratorium at the meeting; residents asked for more transparency, third-party studies and public engagement before any future approvals.
