This is the 26th installment in our What’s on your mind? blog series and was written by Karl Hursey. Have something on your mind? Write about it! Please read this blog for more information.
Karl is a retired health care professional who has lived in Greene County for over 25 years. He would like to ensure other families have the chance to raise their children in an even more healthy, safe, and beautiful setting.
When I first found out about IEP’s Project Hummingbird–a proposed hyperscale data center campus in Greene County–a couple months ago, I was shocked. It seems there was little if any input from those of us living nearby until it was close to a done deal. I believe we can still advocate for Greene County residents if we have the will and if we work together to use this situation to our advantage.
Those of us who will be most affected should approach this as a business deal. We have something these companies want. Instead of begging for scraps, we can and should negotiate hard for the best terms we can get.
I’ve heard concerns from residents that the costs of data centers might outweigh the benefits. Data centers often receive massive tax breaks, with some in Ohio receiving as much as $2 million in incentives for each permanent job created. It’s unclear if Project Hummingbird will receive similar tax abatements or how tax revenues will directly support the community hosting these data centers. Construction is expected to bring in 1,500 jobs and the attached power plant will support an estimated 40 permanent jobs, but no job prediction has been made for the data center itself. Similar projects have consisted of just a couple dozen remote tech workers, traveling maintenance or custodial services, and part-time security personnel. That doesn’t suggest a large local workforce driven by the data center.
Likewise, the site will install high-speed fiber optic internet access, but no one has confirmed if local residents stand to benefit from it. The power plant will emit air pollution and the data center will use massive amounts of water and hum 24 hours a day, potentially affecting both our health and home values. Yet, our local leaders have made no assurances that developers and operators will be held accountable.
So what are our options as community members concerned about the future of Greene County?
One mechanism available to the county is the zoning and permitting process, which can lay the ground rules for projects like Hummingbird. As part of the ordinance, the county can require companies to negotiate a Community Benefits Agreement with residents.
What might we ask for if IEP were to strike a deal with us? I think we should take their word about how much money is involved and bargain accordingly.
For starters, we should require all construction jobs and services to prefer Greene County-based companies and workers first. Our working population is eager for consistent opportunities, and they should be able to work close to home before companies outsource those jobs to folks in Pittsburgh or beyond.
Homeowners in proximity to the center should be able to drive negotiations that affect their homes, memories, and family histories to ensure they have options beyond “take it or leave it.” For example, homeowners may want to negotiate a generous, guaranteed, no-time limit buyout of their property if they are unable to stop the project.
Data center companies should pay a percentage of their yearly revenue into a local economic development fund run by a Board of Greene County residents with bylaws requiring absolute transparency of operation. The fund should be used for county infrastructure improvement and maintenance, supporting small businesses owned and operated by Greene residents, and funding our schools. Since we share the risks of building the data center and the gas-fired power plant and will live with them for years, we should also share the benefits.
Such a fund could conceivably allow a huge reduction — and, in the best-case scenario, even the total reimbursement – of residents’ county property taxes. Property taxes in Greene generate roughly $10-15 million dollars per year. This is chicken feed compared to what we could collect from a minimal cost-of-doing-business fee. Data centers boast millions of dollars in revenue for every megawatt of capacity. Even a 1% tax on Project Hummingbird’s revenue could yield enough to eliminate property taxes, fund a renaissance of business and quality of life in Greene, and give every resident a substantial rebate.
High-speed internet in every building. Chromebooks for every student. Free public transport options. Fully funding our libraries, public parks, and recreation venues. Does this sound too wild? Lancaster, Pennsylvania has already negotiated a Community Benefits Agreement granting the community $10 million up front, plus another $10 million for training and other benefits for residents. If they can do it, so can we!
These community improvements can attract new residents and sustain families in Greene County. Who better to pay for them than the tech companies selling us their vision of an AI-powered future?
We’re in a position to use these data center developments to build a strong, prosperous Greene for decades to come. To do that, we need to stick together as a county even when they try to divide and conquer us by making deals behind closed doors or pressuring people to sign NDAs. We owe our children and our children’s children the best deal we can make, because they are the ones who will live with the result. It all starts with us working together.