Logan County native urges oversight of proposed $5B IL data center

(The Center Square) – Logan County residents are opposing a proposed 250-acre data center in Illinois, raising concerns about farmland loss, infrastructure strain and big tech’s impact on the rural community.

The effort, led by Mount Pulaski native and IT professional Kelly Cubberly, has gathered nearly 1,000 signatures. Cubberly, an Army veteran with nearly 16 years in IT, said she started the petition to give the public more information about the project, which is proposed by Canadian company Hut8 and backed by major investors including Meta and BlackRock.

“This type of data center is unheard of in Logan County,” Cubberly said. “They’re talking about a 500-megawatt facility, enough power for up to a million homes, in a county with just over 11,000 homes.”

While proponents argue the project could bring jobs and tax revenue, Cubberly and other residents are concerned about t...