As of February 2026, Indiana House Bill 1333 is a fast-moving piece of legislation that effectively hands the "keys to the county" to the data center industry. By reclassifying large swaths of rural and reclaimed land as "permitted use" zones, the bill allows massive, resource-intensive server farms to bypass the traditional local public hearing process.
For Greene County, this is a double-edged sword: the bill specifically targets the types of reclaimed mine land common in our area, stripping residents of their right to protest industrial sprawl while granting private developers legal immunity from environmental accountability on those very sites.
Here's what's in the Bill:
1. The Loss of Local Veto Power (Soil Classes IV-VIII)
The most alarming part of HB 1333 for Greene County is the "permitted use" mandate. The bill forces local zoning boards to treat industrial developments on Class IV through VIII soils as "permitted."
- Much of Greene County’s terrain, particularly the reclaimed land from former mining operations and areas with steeper slopes or drainage issues, falls into these soil categories.
- Ordinarily, a massive data center would require a "special exception" or a rezoning hearing, giving neighbors a chance to voice concerns about noise, light, and traffic. HB 1333 effectively clears a path for these projects to proceed with far less local friction.
Why This Bill is Dangerous for Greene County
HB 1333 is particularly dangerous for Greene County because of how it treats reclaimed mine land. Historically, sites like the former Robena Mine or the lands around Greene-Sullivan State Forest have been "brownfields", sites with complicated environmental histories that required careful local oversight to repurpose.
Under this bill, these sites are essentially fast-tracked:
- The bill extends governmental-style immunity to private entities that take over brownfields. This means if a data center developer moves onto old mine land in Greene County and an environmental issue arises later, the community’s legal path to holding them accountable is significantly weakened.
- The bill mandates that industrial development on Soil Classes IV through VIII must be treated as a "permitted use." In Greene County, vast amounts of land consist of these soil types, specifically the steep, rocky, or reclaimed acreage left behind by the coal industry.
- By labeling these soils as "low quality" for farming, the bill gives developers a green light to build massive, water-intensive server farms on them without the "special exception" hearings that would normally allow neighbors to protest the noise and resource drain.
Real-Life Examples of Indiana’s Data Center Backlash
It is no surprise that lobbyists and lawmakers are pushing to circumvent local community input. Across the state, Hoosiers are increasingly fighting back and rejecting these projects, citing the heavy toll they take on local resources. Where data centers have already landed, the results have been far from the "clean energy" utopia promised, leading to a surge of complaints regarding noise, water depletion, and skyrocketing utility rates.
- St. Joseph County (New Carlisle): In December 2025, after a public hearing that lasted until 4:00 AM, the County Council rejected a $12 billion data center rezoning. Residents cited "data center fatigue" after experiencing the massive resource demands of existing Amazon projects nearby.
- Fort Wayne: Residents have organized fierce protests against a massive Google project, specifically over concerns that the facility will use over a billion gallons of water annually and requires 179 massive diesel backup generators that critics say will ruin air quality.
- Shelbyville & Clinton County: In late 2025 and early 2026, both communities took steps to delay or outright reject data center annexations and projects due to "growing concerns" over infrastructure strain.
- Franklin Township (Marion County): After months of organized community pushback from the "Protect Franklin Township" group, Google was forced to withdraw its proposal for a 460-acre campus in September 2025.
A Shifting Rural Landscape
The concern in places like Bloomfield, Linton, and Jasonville is that Greene County will become a "utility zone" for the rest of the state.
The Bottom Line for Greene County
For those who value the quiet, rural character of Greene County, HB 1333 feels like a "fast-track" for the AI boom at the expense of the people who actually live there. It does little to address the fundamental fear that the county’s land is being sold to the highest bidder with very little trickling back down to the local taxpayers.
As the bill moves toward a final vote in 2026, the question remains: is Greene County's future being decided in the county seat, or in a boardroom in Silicon Valley?
