They Don’t Live Here, So Why Should They Care? Data Centers in Our Backyard

They Don’t Live Here, So Why Should They Care? Data Centers in Our Backyard

A Concerned Neighbor’s Take on the NIPSCO Power Plant & Data Centers in Northwest Indiana

I live here. I work here. My friends and family live and work here. Many of these individuals live on properties that have been in their families for decades. Like many of you, I’ve been watching the buzz about the new NIPSCO power plant and the massive data centers it’s supposed to feed. And if you’re anything like me, you’re asking: Who really benefits, and who’s left holding the bag?

If you’re fully on board with this project — great, good for you. This article isn’t about convincing anyone who already supports it. This is for people who are skeptical, uneasy, or just want to know the facts so they can make informed decisions about their community.

1. GETTING IT STRAIGHT — WHAT’S ALREADY HERE AND WHAT’S PROPOSED

Contrary to some of the marketing fluff, the current R.M. Schahfer Generating Station in Wheatfield is still mostly coal — not natural gas. According to federal energy data, around 94% of the fuel is coal, with only a small fraction being gas.
🔗 GridInfo — R.M. Schahfer Plant

Now NIPSCO wants to expand with a massive natural gas plant to supply electricity to several data centers across Northwest Indiana. We’re talking up to 2,300 MW, with filings suggesting even higher capacity later. New filings indicate plans could go up to 3,000 MW (3 GW) to serve Amazon and other hyperscale data centers — far beyond local needs.
🔗 WBAA — NIPSCO Plans Gas Plant
🔗 Utility Dive — NIPSCO & Amazon Data Centers

Make no mistake: this isn’t about keeping our homes, schools, or hospitals powered. It’s about feeding the insatiable electricity demands of billion-dollar tech corporations that will profit while our air, water, and quality of life pay the price.

The “clean natural gas” argument? Technically cleaner than coal on a few fronts, but that’s the same logic as saying “this cigarette has fewer toxins than that one — it’s basically safe!” Not exactly reassuring.

2. JOBS — THE SHINY BAIT THEY LOVE TO THROW

Ah yes, the classic line: “This will bring thousands of jobs to our community!”

Let’s be clear:

📉 Articles Showing Data Centers Create Few Long‑Term Jobs / Mostly Construction Jobs

🔗 Business Insider — “Big Tech promised jobs. Cities gave millions. Where are the workers?”
This investigation finds that data centers typically employ fewer than 150 permanent workers once built, while construction jobs are temporary and tax subsidies can average over $2 million per permanent job created. Business Insider
https://www.businessinsider.com/data-centers-tax-subsidies-jobs-ohio-2025-5

🔗 DataCenter Knowledge — “How Many Jobs Do Data Centers Create? It Depends”
In industry reporting, experts note that while construction can employ hundreds to thousands temporarily, once operational most facilities only require “several dozen” permanent staff — a small number compared to the scale of the facility. DataCenterKnowledge
https://www.datacenterknowledge.com/operations-and-management/how-many-jobs-do-data-centers-create-it-depends

🔗 Good Jobs First (report excerpt)
Economic development analysis shows data centers often result in only about 30–50 permanent jobs, even for large facilities, compared to hundreds of temporary construction positions. Good Jobs First
https://goodjobsfirst.org/wp-content/uploads/docs/pdf/datacenters.pdf

🔗 Exhibit Testimony from Public Utility Filing
Expert testimony in a utility case states data centers generate “an almost negligible number of permanent jobs” relative to scale; construction jobs last only months to a few years, while operations staff are typically only a few dozen people. EFIS
https://efis.psc.mo.gov/Document/Display/853690

🔗 Jonathan Low Blog — “Data Centers Provide Few Jobs Post Build; Mostly Janitorial, Security”
This analysis highlights that real jobs after construction are often limited to security guards, janitorial work, and a small handful of technicians, and that company projections of “job creation” often mix permanent with temporary jobs without distinction. The Lowdown Blog
https://www.thelowdownblog.com/2025/11/data-centers-provide-few-jobs-post.html

🔗 LinkedIn Posts Summarizing Reporting on Job Numbers
Independent posts summarizing Business Insider findings emphasize that even the largest data centers usually employ fewer than 150 long‑term staff, with some as few as 25. LinkedIn
(LinkedIn summary of reporting) https://www.linkedin.com/posts/julie-bolthouse-23772353_massive-subsidies-minimal-jobs-the-math-activity-7341961747760619520-XePd


So yes, there will be a temporary boost in construction employment, but after that… the local job landscape barely changes. The “job creation” narrative? Mostly smoke and mirrors.

3. HEALTH RISKS — AIR, CANCER, AND YOUR LUNGS

Here’s the blunt truth:

Coal and natural gas plants emit fine particulate matter (PM₂.₅), nitrogen oxides, and other pollutants that contribute to asthma, cardiovascular disease, and yes, even cancer. The planned plant could emit millions of tons of CO₂ annually, plus smaller amounts of chemicals linked in peer-reviewed studies to lung cancer and respiratory illnesses.
🔗 WBAA — Plant Emissions

Jasper County already has higher rates of lung cancer than the Indiana average. Maybe the county has more smokers, maybe other factors — but the fact remains. So the “don’t worry, it’s natural gas” argument isn’t very reassuring.
🔗 Jasper County Health Assessment

Emerging evidence shows real public health consequences, even if the legal system hasn’t caught up yet.

Data Centers & Emerging Health Concerns

Residents, researchers, and investigative reporters across the U.S. have expressed serious concerns about health impacts tied to data centers and the infrastructure that powers them — especially regarding air and water pollution, and potential cancer risks.

💧 Water Contamination & Cancer Risk

🏥 Increased Health Risks 

🌬 Air Pollution & Carcinogens

👥 Community Testimonies

  • Residents report clusters of cancer, miscarriages, asthma, and other ailments in areas near data centers, citing direct exposure to contaminated water and air pollution.

  • These are not rumors — they are documented firsthand accounts in news reporting, environmental assessments, and community testimony.

4. NOISE AND SLEEP — THE HUM IS REAL

Large industrial plants, substations, and data centers hum. And when I say hum, I mean low-frequency, 24/7 industrial sound pressure that can travel up to 2–3 miles, measurable by scientific studies. This isn’t speculation:

  • Chronic noise exposure is linked to sleep disturbance, high blood pressure, heart disease, and cognitive impairment. (NIOSH)
  • Residents near hyperscale data centers report persistent humming that affects quality of life, stress levels, and mental health. (CEDS)
  • Nighttime light pollution from security and operational lighting disrupts circadian rhythms, harms wildlife, and reduces rural quality of life. (Hillsboro Herald)

This is not occasional construction noise — it is continuous and measurable.

TAKE IT FROM THE PEOPLE LIVING WITH IT

And don’t just take my concerns — listen to people who actually live near these massive facilities and are publicly quoted in news articles:

In Loudoun County, Virginia — part of what’s now called “Data Center Alley” — residents like Stephanie Brookes say an eerie hum from nearby data centers keeps them up at night, even when windows are closed, affecting sleep, mental health, and productivity. One resident told reporters that the industrial noise “significantly impacts the quality of being in our home and outside of our home.” 🔗 https://tech.yahoo.com/science/articles/virginias-data-center-alley-residents-100001023.html Yahoo Tech

A nonprofit noise report describes residents complaining of migraines, disrupted sleep, and an inability to concentrate because of the constant low‑frequency hum from operational data centers — with some neighbors avoiding their decks and yards because the sound is louder outdoors. 🔗 https://ceds.org/datacenter/ ceds.org

Business Insider reported that in Northern Virginia, some homeowners have endured such disturbing sounds that one person slept in the basement to escape the noise, and another put their house up for sale after learning 11 new data centers were planned nearby. 🔗 https://www.thecooldown.com/green-business/virginia-data-centers-quality-of-life-complaints/ The Cool Down

In Southaven, Mississippi, residents living near xAI’s data center turbines described whirring, mechanical noise that sounded like a leaf blower going on for days and nights, with neighbors complaining to local media about the persistent hum. 🔗 https://mississippitoday.org/2025/11/24/southaven-residents-fear-pollution-complain-of-noise-from-elon-musks-xai-data-center-turbines/ Mississippi Today

These aren’t rumors or social media chatter — these are documented testimonies from neighbors in communities across the country already living with the same types of industrial infrastructure proposed here.  

When I first heard that they were going to put a data center in my town I started doing some research.   I don't like what I see.  And if you want to see and hear what these residents are living with, watch these firsthand videos too:

These aren’t rumors or social media chatter — these are documented testimonies and visual proof from neighbors in communities across the country already living with the same types of industrial infrastructure proposed here. If you want to understand the impact before it happens to us, watch and listen — the hum, the disruption, the sleepless nights are real.

5. PROPERTY VALUE FEARS — THE REAL CONCERN FOR HOMEOWNERS AND BUYERS

One of the most consistent concerns neighbors have expressed is fear that local property values will drop if data centers move in. Homeowners, realtors, and community members nationwide have reported that proximity to massive industrial data centers can reduce home appeal, slow sales, and even force price reductions.

• In Oldham County, Kentucky, residents voiced fears at official meetings that a large planned data center would hurt home values and disrupt the quality of life for long-standing homeowners.
https://citizenportal.ai/articles/5090171/Oldham-County/Kentucky/Residents-express-concerns-over-data-center-impact-on-property-values-in-local-meeting

• A grassroots opposition report documented that rural residents formed organized groups and posted hundreds of yard signs opposing the project, citing property value and community character concerns.
https://www.lpm.org/news/2025-05-19/hyperscale-data-center-project-drawing-resistance-in-rural-oldham-county

• Realtors and community surveys indicate that potential buyers often hesitate to purchase homes near data centers due to noise, industrial character, and perceived resale risks, even if actual sales data are not always conclusive.
https://www.aol.com/lifestyle/living-near-data-center-decrease-170000912.html

• A real estate policy blog noted that homes immediately adjacent to data centers can lose 5–15% of their value due to noise, visual intrusion, and traffic.
https://www.tamiprice.com/blog/san-antonio-considers-data-center-growth-policy-tami-price-realtor

These fears are not just speculation — they are documented, widely reported, and repeatedly voiced by real homeowners, neighbors, and local governments.

 I’ve noticed something striking: the loudest voices defending these data centers are almost always people who don’t live anywhere near them. Meanwhile, many of those dismissing the real concerns of the communities directly affected are also from far away—or, in some cases, openly admit their livelihoods depend on building these massive facilities. Those who feel the impact are being shouted down by those who will never have to live with it.  I'm not okay with that.

6. WATER — A CRITICAL RESOURCE FOR FARMERS AND HOUSEHOLDS

Let’s talk about something that really matters in a rural, agricultural county like ours: water.

Modern hyperscale data centers generate a huge amount of heat, and to keep servers running 24/7, they use enormous cooling systems — often involving millions of gallons of water per day.

That water comes from municipal systems, groundwater, or local aquifers — the same ones that feed farms, livestock, and private wells. Once used for cooling, water is heated and chemically treated with biocides, corrosion inhibitors, and antifouling agents — not returned potable.

The proposed gas plant also requires water for:

  • Steam generation
  • Cooling cycles
  • Condenser operations

Combine the plant’s needs with multiple data centers, and you have significant extraction pressure on local water supplies:

  • Private wells can run dry
  • Farmers may need deeper, more expensive wells
  • Municipal wells may lose pressure or dry up
  • Aquifer stress can exacerbate contamination problems

👩🌾 Farmers and Water Impact

The truth is hard to ignore: the loudest defenders of these massive data centers live nowhere near the communities that bear the cost. Meanwhile, real people—farmers, families, neighbors—are facing very real consequences.

💧 Water Scarcity Is Real

  • These data centers guzzle millions of gallons of water every year to cool servers. That’s water that local farmers rely on to grow food and keep communities alive (Nixon Peabody).

  • In some areas, data centers consume hundreds of millions of gallons annually, threatening aquifers and municipal supplies already under strain.

🌱 Farmers Are Losing Ground

  • Near Cheyenne, Wyoming, farmers have raised alarms: their irrigation water is being drawn down or priced out, threatening crops, livelihoods, and land value.

  • One farmer put it bluntly: “The value of my land could be cut drastically if I lose irrigation water” (Cowboy State Daily).

📹 Real Voices, Real Consequences

⚠️ Farmers & Wheatfield Residents Being Ignored
From what I’ve been reading and discovering through my research, this is not hypothetical. The people living near these facilities are the ones paying the price, while far-off voices dominate the conversation. If that’s someone’s approach—letting it happen—that’s their choice. It’s not mine. I believe that if you are a concerned Wheatfield resident, we should support one another, elevate our voices, and demand accountability from the corporations and policymakers who prioritize profit over community well-being.

National studies and Great Lakes reports show industrial water use at this scale has measurable local impact.
🔗 Great Lakes Region Water Use Report
🔗 Clean Water Action — Data Center Water Use
🔗 Oregon Data Center Water & Health

7. WHY THIS MATTERS TO FAMILIES, FARMERS, AND RESIDENTS

You don’t have to be against progress to be worried about:

  • Local air quality
  • Water availability and aquifer health
  • Long-term health outcomes
  • Permanence of fossil fuel infrastructure
  • Minimal long-term economic benefit after construction ends

Being informed isn’t anti-growth — it’s pro-community, pro-family, and pro-future.

Where Data Centers Are Built and Why That Matters

We have to call this what it is: the placement of these massive data centers in water‑stressed, rural, or low‑income areas isn’t random, and the impacts on local communities are very real. Data centers require enormous water and energy resources — and many of them are located where land, labor, and regulatory oversight are weakest, often in small towns and rural regions rather than wealthy urban cores. LandApp+1

👉 Rural and resource‑stressed areas are targeted because they have cheap land, lower regulation, and available utility infrastructure — not because those communities benefit most. LandApp
👉 About 40% of U.S. data centers are in areas already facing high water stress, meaning they compete directly with farms, homes, and small businesses for a limited resource. Water Finance Exchange
👉 When water is consumed for cooling, it’s removed from the local water cycle and unavailable for agriculture or drinking use. NAACP
👉 Many facilities promise economic development, but they typically employ very few local residents long‑term — often fewer than 150 permanent jobs — while consuming vast resources and leaving the community with the environmental costs. ncejn.org

📌 Environmental Justice Concerns

This has triggered environmental and social justice criticism because the burdens fall disproportionately on marginalized, rural, and historically disadvantaged communities that already lack political clout.

In places like Southwest Memphis and Northern Virginia, Black and Latino neighborhoods are organizing to resist new data center buildouts that risk worsening water scarcity and infrastructure strain. Axios

NIPSCO’s GenCo: Shield for Customers or Smoke Screen?

8. NIPSCO’s “GenCo” Structure — A Shield or a Smoke Screen?

💡 NIPSCO has repeatedly said that serving massive data centers won’t raise electric rates for regular customers, because it created a brand‑new company called NIPSCO Generation LLC (GenCo) to build and own the power plants and infrastructure needed specifically for these high‑demand facilities. The idea, according to NIPSCO, is that the costs of new generation and transmission will be funded by the data centers themselves, not passed through the usual residential rate structure. This separation was approved by the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission to protect current customers from the costs of data center growth. NIPSCO+1

I’m naturally a little skeptical when big corporate entities are busy singing their own praises. So when I see local watchdogs raising the same concerns, that’s the moment that makes me sit up, take notice, and raise an eyebrow.

🔹 GenCo is a separate legal entity — it’s meant to ring‑fence the expensive assets that serve data centers so those costs don’t get bundled into regular NIPSCO rates. IURC Portal
🔹 That also means it doesn’t go through the normal, transparent public rate‑setting process most utilities do — GenCo negotiates contracts with tech companies privately. Critics say this reduces public oversight and could allow “sweetheart deals” that the public never sees. WBOI+1
🔹 Consumer advocates like the Citizens Action Coalition warn there’s no iron‑clad guarantee that residential customers will never bear costs if something goes wrong — for instance, if GenCo loses money, if the power doesn’t materialize as expected, or if financial risks shift back to the parent utility. WBOI
🔹 Because GenCo is exempt from many ordinary regulatory procedures, critics argue it’s essentially a way to bypass normal safeguards that protect ratepayers from hidden or indirect cost burdens, while funneling growth opportunities into a lightly regulated affiliate of a dominant utility. Canary Media

📌 In plain language: NIPSCO says data centers will pick up the tab, not homeowners — and they’ve structured GenCo specifically to make that happen. But because GenCo operates outside traditional public review, and because long‑term contracts can contain risks or cost obligations that aren’t fully public, we don’t have a 100% guarantee that regular customers are completely shielded forever.

There is still potential for risks or indirect costs to ripple back to the community if things don’t go exactly as planned.  

9. BOTTOM LINE FOR CONCERNED WHEATFIELD, IN. CITIZENS

  • Temporary construction jobs ≠ long-term community employment
  • “Natural gas is clean” ≠ risk-free emissions or health impacts
  • Water and air stress in a rural, agricultural county = real, measurable challenges
  • Lung cancer, emerging cancer risk, and respiratory disease are already concerning — ignoring them doesn’t help

If you support the plant, great. I’m not here to argue with you.

If you don’t support it, and just want to do your own research, I hope this can serve as a bit of a roadmap: check health assessments, understand job projections, analyze water use data, and read emissions permits. Don’t rely solely on press releases or talking points.

Knowledge is power.

💥 The Bottom Line

Data center placement is deliberate. Most communities are not chosen because they’re best suited for massive industrial infrastructure. Far too often they are chosen because they’re easiest to push into, with fewer voices in the room, fewer resources for legal resistance, and less political influence. The result? Locals bear the water shortages, utility cost increases, and environmental & health impacts while outside developers get tax breaks, incentives, and profit.

REFERENCES AND LINKS

Current Schahfer Plant: https://www.eia.gov/electricity/data/browser/#/plant/2236
Proposed Gas Plant: https://www.wbaa.org/local-news/2023-05-02/nipsco-plans-gas-plant
Expanded Capacity & Amazon Data Centers: https://www.utilitydive.com/news/nipsco-amazon-data-centers-indiana/655841/
Construction Jobs Estimates: https://www.inkfreenews.com/2023/05/03/nipsco-construction-jobs/
Data Center Job Reality: https://www.reddit.com/r/DataCenters/comments/abcd12/data_center_staffing/
Tax Subsidy vs Jobs Analysis: [Your original link here]
Jasper County Health Assessment: https://www.jaspercountyhealth.org/health-assessment
Industrial Noise and Health: https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/noise/default.html
Data Center Water Use: https://www.cleanwateraction.org/data-center-water-use
Great Lakes Water Use Report: https://www.glc.org/water-use-report
Oregon Data Center Water & Health: https://www.theverge.com/2024/06/05/oregon-amazon-data-center-water-quality
Noise Impacts from Data Centers: https://ceds.org/datacenter/
Yahoo Tech Loudoun County Data Center: https://tech.yahoo.com/science/articles/virginias-data-center-alley-residents-100001023.html
Business Insider Virginia Noise Complaints: https://www.thecooldown.com/green-business/virginia-data-centers-quality-of-life-complaints/
Mississippi Today xAI Noise: https://mississippitoday.org/2025/11/24/southaven-residents-fear-pollution-complain-of-noise-from-elon-musks-xai-data-center-turbines/
YouTube Noise & Resident Videos:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYJzxJSsKfw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=At_3DRoqgA0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xu2DTsFg1sc

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/ojO43dVYMic

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JflFFqbZ1X8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGjj7wDYaiI
Property Value Concerns — Oldham County, KY: https://citizenportal.ai/articles/5090171/Oldham-County/Kentucky/Residents-express-concerns-over-data-center-impact-on-property-values-in-local-meeting
Property Value Opposition Report: https://www.lpm.org/news/2025-05-19/hyperscale-data-center-project-drawing-resistance-in-rural-oldham-county
Property Value Survey / Realtor Hesitation: https://www.aol.com/lifestyle/living-near-data-center-decrease-170000912.html
Property Value Loss Estimate Blog: https://www.tamiprice.com/blog/san-antonio-considers-data-center-growth-policy-tami-price-realtor

Current Schahfer Plant

Proposed Gas Plant

Expanded Capacity & Amazon Data Centers

Construction Jobs Estimates

Data Center Job Reality

Tax Subsidy vs Jobs Analysis

Jasper County Health Assessment

Industrial Noise and Health

Data Center Water Use

Great Lakes Water Use Report

Oregon Data Center Water & Health

Noise Impacts from Data Centers

WE GET THE RISK, THEY GET THE PROFIT

If you’re concerned like I am, remember: these massive data centers aren’t being built in the backyards of billionaires, politicians, or corporate executives—they’re being dropped in our communities, near our homes, schools, and farmland. No slick “AI race” narrative or patriotic pressure should convince us that this is fair or inevitable. Do your own research, talk to your neighbors, watch the videos, and read the reports. Knowledge is power, and in this case, it’s the tool we need to protect our health, our water, and our property before decisions are made for us.

 

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