UPDATE: July 16 at 1 p.m.

Burgin city officials have determined that the July 9, City Council meeting was not legally held, according to the city clerk.

As a result, the first reading of the proposed annexation ordinance is considered invalid, meaning the previously anticipated special-called meeting on July 20 for a second reading will not take place. The city clerk said the determination was made after consulting with the Burgin city attorney.

Original Story:

A proposed data center on prime farmland in Mercer County is drawing concern from a nearby equestrian business owner who says the project could devastate her livelihood and force her to relocate.

Caitlin Cooper, co-owner of DesMar Stables, lives about 1,000 feet from the proposed site on Handy Road. She said she fears the development would decrease property values at her facility and make her horses too dangerous to ride or train due to noise pollution.

"It's a major fear for us and it will completely devastate our business," Cooper said.

Developers with American Farm Investors and JLL Louisville Real Estate are working to build the data center in Mercer County. The proposed site sits directly across the street from Cooper's home and stables a business she has built over the last 12 years.

Cooper said the noise generated by a data center would be especially harmful to horses, which are more sensitive to sound than humans.

"The noise level to a horse is, you gotta think, they hear way better than we do," Cooper said.

Developers have promised to plant trees to help reduce noise. Cooper dismissed the proposal.

"I think that's just comical that they even think that that's supposed to make us go, oh, yeah let's build it then, right next door," Cooper said.

Cooper said she is also upset that developers are targeting what a University of Kentucky study identified as some of the richest soil in Kentucky. She stressed that once construction begins, there is no reversing course.

"There's no turning back, once that ground breaks, there's no turning back which is heartbreaking," Cooper said.

If the data center is approved at this location, Cooper said she does not know what her next steps would be.

"I don't honestly know what we would do," Cooper said.

A separate concern has also emerged around Burgin not having a planning and zoning development department, with many worried that the absence of such oversight will allow the real estate companies to dictate what happens to both Burgin and Shaker Village. Coverage of that issue will continue as updates become available.

drew.amman@wlex.tv

Georgetown and Nicholasville held separate community meetings Monday night centered on the same concern: how to get ahead of potential data center development before proposals arrive.

In Georgetown, the conversation focused on a moratorium already in place in Scott County a pause, not a ban, on data center development. The moratorium was originally set to run through September but has since been extended through the end of December.

While no proposals for a data center in Georgetown currently exist, the city council voted to approve a resolution in support of the Scott County moratorium.

Georgetown resident Ken Beitler said he supports the move.

"Every time I see it, it ends up that either somebody has electric bills that go up or water contamination, and we already have water issues here in Georgetown. We can't support our infrastructure today. We cannot support putting in a data center," Beitler said.

Beitler also warned that communities need to act quickly.

"If we don't stand up now and stand up fast, they're going to come in here and kick the doors down and it's going to be too late for us to react. Time is not on our side," Beitler said.

In Nicholasville, Jessamine County, a similar meeting took place Monday night though the city does not have a moratorium in place. Discussions there have remained at the exploratory stage.

Doug Blackford, director of general government for the city of Nicholasville, said the city is taking a measured approach.

"What our board is choosing to do is to step back, get some time, and educate and learn more about them before they make any decisions," Blackford said.

Blackford said residents have already raised concerns about what a data center could mean for the city.

"Some folks have complained about noise, the amount of electricity use, the amount of water they take to operate," Blackford said.

He added that no proposals have been submitted for a data center in Nicholasville.

"I can say that with some confidence. Not right now. It's to our understanding, nobody has approached us about pursuing that for us. We just want to be ready for when that day comes," Blackford said.

The conversation around data center development continues to heighten in Mercer County, as the City of Burgin held a public meeting on Thursday at Burgin Independent Schools, where residents packed a room in opposition.

Before the meeting on Thursday, LEX News spoke with Billy Rankin, the president of Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill in Mercer County regarding his thoughts towards developing a data center in his community.

"You're not going to see a thoroughbred farm across the road on [US-68] anymore once this is put in," said Rankin.

Developers with American Farm Investors and JLL Louisville Real Estate are working to build the data center in Mercer County. Developers previously purchased 10 properties located near Bailey Pike, just two miles away from the Shaker Village area.

"Shaker Village is Kentucky's largest national historic landmark... Our front entrance is two miles away from where a data center will be built," Rankin said.

For more than 200 years, the shakers have built generations on the village land, and it's been home to numerous thoroughbreds, one of the many reasons residents, including Rankin, are fighting against data center development in their community.

"It's going to have an impact on all of our guests. It's going to have an environmental impact, because we're all sharing the same ecosystem... So, we're extremely concerned about the potential of this development, what it means for our future," said Rankin.

With the City of Burgin not having a planning and zoning development department, Rankin said he's worried this will allow the real estate companies to dictate what happens to both Burgin and Shaker Village.

"The thing is, we're going to be judged, not just by on the things that we build, but the things we decide to save, what we don't destroy," said Rankin. "That's what future generations are going to judge us on. We can't lose that. That's part of our identity."

A petition with more than 3,800 signatures has been created to stop the construction of data centers in Mercer County. Additionally, a second reading of the ordinance will take place on Monday, July 20 in Burgin.

kayleigh.randle@wlex.tv

See LEX News' previous coverage of the data center development controversy in Mercer County below.

Nearly the entire town of Burgin gathered inside Burgin Independent Schools for a city council meeting over a proposed data center that could be built across 10 farming lands stretching from Burgin to Shaker Village a move residents say would destroy historic thoroughbred grounds.

Residents packed the room, with many shouting their opposition and demanding answers from city leaders over what they described as a lack of transparency in the process.

Representative Adam Moore said the council's handling of the proposal has frustrated many in the community.

"It feels like a predatory nature that they're coming in and now essentially a community like Burgin is on the back foot and they're literally in a room shouting no we don't want this. Isn't that what we said? If we don't want them here, they're not gonna come here. But essentially we seem to have a rubber stamp council that's letting it go through," Moore said.

Moore pointed to unanswered questions about the ordinance and agreements surrounding the project.

"The biggest turn off for me is the lack of transparency. That we have a council member saying they haven't seen it yet. The ordinance yet, the first reading. NDA's haven't been signed, and we don't have the request for information come through where we can see who signed what, who agreed to what," Moore said.

One council member said the emotion in the room was overwhelming.

"I literally got emotional. And it was because the unity of the people here today. I tried to hold back but I was about to burst in tears. And it was just for the love that I stood for my people today," the council member said.

Bethany Corea, who moved to Burgin from Ohio in 2020, said the town quickly became the place she and her family planned to spend the rest of their lives.

"Well it quickly developed into 'wow this is where we want to grow old'. I used to joke they're gonna drag me out here into a retirement home. We just fell in love with the area. It became 'oh this is a nice little slice of the country', but still close to what we needed to be of 'oh this is our forever home'. This is where we want to raise our children," Corea said.

Now, Corea said the prospect of the data center has changed everything.

"I was astounded by all of the negative ramifications. It went from not only caring about my community, but again thinking about my daughters. I was thinking we want to grow old here, I have sentimental attachment to my home. All of these wonderful things, but if this comes here I can't risk my family to stay here, so I have to help my family fight," Corea said.

Corea said residents feel abandoned by those in power after she reached out to some state representatives.

"So we feel left out. We feel let down by our state legislators and other government officials," Corea said.

Among the concerns raised by residents were higher taxes and utilities, increased brownouts, noise, and the visual impact of the facility on the surrounding area.

They are taking our resources. They are wanting to extract our water, our electricity. The soil we have counted on for generations to support us and nurture us," explained Betty Dean who is part of the "We Are Mercer County" group.

Dean says Burgin doesn't have a planning and zoning department, so whoever buys the land will control what happens in Burgin. She says the company out of Lexington who bought the land is finding loopholes to make sure the center gets built.

Another member of the group, Suzanne Roberts, says We have so many [concerns] with the threat to our health. The threat to our water, our soil, the noise. We cannot stay there because we cant take that risk.

Roberts goes on to say, "Its gonna be a devastating thing to Mercer County, and weve been fighting this since January. Were gonna continue to fight though."

One council member, Sindicat Dunn, said he initially supported the project for its economic potential, but ultimately deferred to the will of the community.

"Basically the economic impact it would have on our town would be tremendous. But the people don't want it. So even though I was like, this is great for our city. It's not about me at the end of the day. It's about the people that elected me. And that's who I always stand with," the council member said.

Some residents and officials agreed on one potential path forward: placing the issue on the November ballot and letting voters decide.

A second reading will be held on Monday, July 20 to continue talks about the center.

In the mix of all of this, the Burgin Mayor Jamie Keebortz submitted a letter of resignation to the council on Wednesday night, which was approved in Thursday's meeting. The reasoning behind Keebortz resignation has not been made public.

This is a developing story that LEX News will continue to follow.

The Versailles City Council voted unanimously Tuesday night to impose a moratorium on data centers, halting all related development through December 31, 2026.

"What it does is it disallows the planning commission and the government to consider any kind of permits, approvals, development plans that would include a data center," Versailles Mayor Laura Dake said.

The move comes as data centers proliferate across Kentucky, including recent projects in Wolfe County.

Dake said the issue came to her attention after Lexington enacted its own data center moratorium following the unexpected sale of a former Lexmark property to a data center developer.

"I thought, I think this might be something that we need to do here in Versailles," said Dake.

While no companies have approached Versailles about data center development, Dake cited a 150-acre tract of industrial land along U.S. 60 as potentially attractive to future developers.

"No, I have not been approached. I don't believe planning and zoning has been approached. This is more of a kind of a proactive measure, versus something that we're reacting to," she said.

The moratorium gives the city time to study data center impacts and potentially amend local ordinances. Several residents who declined to speak on camera expressed concerns about data centers' community impact.

Dake predicted strong public opposition if data centers were proposed: "I feel very certain that the rooms would be full of citizens clamoring against data centers."

The Versailles City Council voted Tuesday night to approve a resolution declaring a moratorium on data centers within the city through Dec. 31, according to a Facebook post by Versailles Mayor Laura Dake.

Dake said the moratorium is intended to give the city government and the Planning Commission time to review, consider, and amend, if necessary, any ordinances related to data centers in Versailles.

According to Dake, the resolution was modeled after a similar measure approved by the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council last week.

Dake said she was pleased with the councils vote and thanked members for taking quick action on the issue.

The city plans to publish the full text of the resolution on its website on Wednesday morning, according to the mayor.

Lexington residents packed the Lyric Theatre Monday night to voice concerns about potential data center development in the city, nearly two weeks after the former Lexmark data center was purchased by DartPoints Operating Company.

The community engagement meeting, held by the city, gave the public a chance to weigh in on the issue and many showed up ready to be heard.

"Raise your hand if you oppose all data center construction in Lexington," one speaker asked.

The crowd responded with applause and cheering.

Resident Noah Cornett said the moment reflected something bigger.

"For the first time in my life, we have a truly bipartisan (issue) that we can work on together," Cornett said.

Resident Katie Mullen said the gap between public sentiment and what is actually being built is hard to ignore.

"There's a huge discrepancy between what people want and what people are speaking out against and what's coming in regardless," Mullen said.

City Council members joined Ashley Wilmes of the Kentucky Resources Council in outlining a range of concerns about the projects.

Wilmes addressed the environmental and infrastructure implications of newer facilities.

"The newer hyperscale data centers are using less water by adopting closed loop systems, which circulate liquid through sealed pipes, absorb heat from the servers, and then release it through radiators. But these systems use more energy," she said.

She also raised concerns about heat output.

"Another issue is waste heat, since all of this equipment creates heat that raises the temperature of the surrounding environment," Wilmes said.

"There's not a lot of transparency around these issues," Council Member Liz Sheehan admits.

Emergency response readiness is another open question.

"Other questions like does the fire department have the training, the equipment, the water supply to respond to an emergency for one of these massive facilities?"

Wilmes also pointed to gaps in existing regulations.

"Data centers don't normally fit into the framework of existing code... you can leave a community without a lot of options in terms of requiring things like setbacks," Wilmes said.

Last week, the City Council unanimously passed a moratorium pausing the acceptance of development plans.

Council Member Tyler Morton said the community deserves a seat at the table.

"The community deserves a platform to share its concerns and that the public input should always be a part of any conversation that can impact our neighborhood," Morton said.

If you want to share your thoughts on Lexington data center development with city officials, click here.

Lexington residents have an opportunity to weigh in on data centers at a community engagement meeting on Monday night.

The meeting starts at 6 p.m. at the Lyric Theater and Cultural Arts Center on East Third Street.

The Lexington Urban County Council passed a moratorium on data centers last week, following a developer's purchase of property in the city.

Council members say local elected officials will be at the meeting to listen and share information.

An industrial hum has shattered the peace in a rural Wolfe County community, where some residents say a data center has operated for nearly three years.

Barbara Campbell, who has lived along KY-1036 for more than 40 years, said the constant noise from Artemis Power Tech's facility began in fall 2023 when the company set up operations next to her home without notice.

Campbell said she has never got used to the noise. When people visit her property, the first thing they as her: "So, that's the noise you have all day?"

The noise comes from cooling fans that prevent high-powered computer equipment stored in the buildings from overheating. After LEX News Investigates began looking into residents' complaints in late 2023, Artemis installed a tarp over metal fencing around the facility.

Campbell said the noise affects property values, though county assessments haven't changed.

"If somebody was to come here, what would they say? What's the first thing they'd say? 'Do you have that noise all the time?' It has to impact it," she said.

County tax records show the data center generated $11,450 in combined property and occupational taxes for 2024 and 2025.

Wolfe County Judge Executive Raymond Banks was not available for comment but in a 2023 interview he said he understood neighbors' frustrations, explaining the company was trying to address the noise issue.

He went on to say that Wolfe County is one of the poorest counties in the state.

"Anything we get here is better than nothing," Banks said. "Cause we don't have much."

Artemis Power Tech did not respond to requests for comment.

Campbell hopes other communities will resist similar developments.

"I think, thank God for these people that are making the noise, but I wonder, are the legislatures listening?" she said.

Update: June 9 at 11 p.m.

The Lexington Fayette Urban County Council unanimously passed a moratorium on new data center approvals, pausing permits, development plan acceptances and zone changes related to data centers until Oct. 31.

5th District Representative Liz Sheehan said the moratorium is designed to give the council time to establish more specific guidelines for tech companies looking to operate in the area.

"Our moratorium says that we are pausing on any approvals for permits, or any authorizations for data centers through our permitting process," Sheehan said.

"It also puts a pause on acceptance of development plans that involve a data center or any zone changes that involve a data center," Sheehan said.

Sheehan said existing zoning language is outdated and no longer reflects the realities of modern data centers.

"When our zoning ordinances have referenced data processing or computer processing centers, those definitions and that language was really developed decades ago before we had the modern data center," Sheehan said.

The move comes after DartPoints Operating Company purchased the former Lexmark data center off New Circle Road.

Sheehan said the city had no role in that transaction and received no advance notice.

"We did not have any say over the sale of that property or weren't notified at all," Sheehan said. "But I think the immediate rise of community feedback is indicative of how much the community as a whole is paying attention to data centers."

As of now, DartPoints has not submitted any permitting requests to the city.

"Currently, they have not submitted anything to the city, so they have not come to us for any kind of permitting with that change of ownership. So at this time, any permits would be paused," Sheehan said.

Mayor Linda Gorton is also backing the moratorium, saying data centers "do not produce many jobs, and have the potential to increase utility costs on local residents."

Urban ecologist Leandro "Nachie" Braga praised the council's action but said the public must use the pause productively.

"It's fantastic that we're seeing city council move with purpose and speed on this issue," Braga said.

"This is just one specific issue, but we're gonna see issues like this come up over and over again, and we have an opportunity to get organized right now so that we can respond," Braga said.

Original Story:

Following last week's sale of a former Lexmark data center to DartPoints Operating Company, members of Lexington's City Council announced Tuesday that the council has enacted a moratorium on data center development.

Alongside the moratorium, the council initiated a Zoning Ordinance Text Amendment (ZOTA) process "to review and establish regulations for data center development," said 1st District Councilmember Tyler Morton on social media.

"This action allows our community and local leaders the opportunity to thoughtfully consider the impacts, benefits, and long-term implications of data centers in Lexington before additional projects move forward," Morton said.

5th District Councilmember Liz Sheehan also announced the moratorium and initiation of the council's process to develop rules and regulations surrounding data centers.

"As we continue to gather more information about what DartPoints intends to do on the site, Council has declared a moratorium on data center development and has initiated the process to formally modernize our regulations to data centers," Sheehan said.

According to Emma Curtis, who represents Lexington's 4th District, the decision was unanimous.

Lexington Mayor Linda Gorton also released a statement following the announcement, voicing her support for the moratorium.

We need to think very carefully about data centers, she said in a release. They do not produce many jobs, and have the potential to increase utility costs on local residents, as well as other concerns. I support very tight controls.

The release goes on to say that Gorton has also refused to support public incentives for the proposed data center on Lexmark property.

Community members gathered on Monday night to voice their concerns and opposition to the project.

A Lexington community group is pushing back after the former Lexmark data center on New Circle Road was sold to DartPoints Operating Company, a Dallas-based business that operates nearly a dozen data centers nationwide.

The group "No Kentucky Data Centers" held a strategy meeting Monday evening to discuss how residents can unite to oppose future data center development.

Erin Petrey, who has a background in sustainability, addressed attendees at the town hall, framing data centers within a broader economic context.

"The data centers are essentially the engine of the internet, and they have been around for decades. And so data centers as a concept are not new," Petrey said.

Petrey also raised concerns about corporate accountability amid the growth of artificial intelligence.

"A lot of our investment markets are propped up and buoyed by the AI boom. So we need to make sure that we are holding the companies that are benefiting," she said. "These record breaking profits accountable and making sure that our communities and our planet and our people are not suffering because of those record profits."

Senator Reggie Thomas, who previously served on the Senate's AI Task Force, warned residents about the financial impact data centers can have on neighboring communities.

"What residents have seen is that neighbor data centers are a significant increase, sometimes 100% of their electricity bill," Thomas said.

Thomas also argued that any additional infrastructure costs should not fall on residents.

"One thing that needs to be fully explored is the fact that if there's gonna be additional cost to making sure that those data centers receive enough electricity. They've got to pay for it, not you," Thomas said.

Thomas called for a public vote before any new data center moves forward.

"We need to ensure that any new data center proposal is supported by the local public. That means that it needs to be voted on by the community," Thomas said.

One attendee raised concerns about noise and environmental impact.

"A 70-megawatt facility that emits enough noise to be heard for over one mile around. And that will destroy entire neighborhoods and their property values and local wildlife," the attendee said.

DartPoints says the future campus is intended to support 415 volts of power.

Community members were signing a petition at Zion Baptist Church, where the meeting was held. Around 90 signatures filled the pages at the event, with organizers saying they have collected around 5,500 total since last Thursday.

One attendee summed up the group's message.

"It's only together that we can come up with a credible vision of what a better future might look like," the attendee said.

Council Member Tyler Morton, who represents the district, says he is incorporating community feedback as he discusses data center issues with his colleagues. Residents can contact his office at (859) 280-8254.

This week, some Lexington residents were surprised to learn that a larger data center is coming to their community and one state lawmaker says the lack of transparency with data center projects in Kentucky is a problem.

The former Lexmark data center on New Circle Road was sold to DartPoints Operating Company, a Dallas-based business that operates nearly a dozen data centers across the country, for $29 million. According to a press release, the company plans to expand the facility's data center infrastructure.

State Rep. Adam Moore of Lexington said he heard from constituents almost immediately after the sale became known.

"I had someone text me immediately because they live in the neighborhood adjacent to it, saying 'Why am I just now hearing about this?' Why is this not going through some type of public zoning meetings?" Moore said.

The property is already zoned in a way that permits data centers, and a Kentucky Utilities substation is on site.

DartPoints says it works to build data center infrastructure and scale it as customer needs grow.

Moore believes the public should have been made aware of the expansion project before the sale. He is pushing the Kentucky General Assembly to require more transparency when data center projects come to communities.

"Any way that we can express ourselves before we know that a data center company is moving in next door," Moore said.

Moore says Kentuckians want a stronger regulations.

"They want even more protections, whether that's guardrails on transparency and public input, whether that is more environmental protections. The people of Kentucky absolutely want us to take a role in this and not just sit idly by to allow the utility companies and the billionaire corporations to essentially set policy on their own," Moore said.

Data center proposals keep emerging across Kentucky, and many communities want to keep them out.

In 2025, Kentucky passed a law making the state more attractive to companies looking to build data centers. The state now offers large tax breaks for data center projects across the state, exempting them from sales and use taxes on certain equipment.

However, some neighbors have expressed frustration with state and local governments, stating officials are moving too quickly to get data center projects approved. Those frustrations were recently brought to Gov. Andy Beshear. He said Kentucky will be strict on data center projects.

"We are also walking into any and all of these [project proposals] skeptical," he said.

Beshear said he will not allow a data center to come to Kentucky if it would pass energy costs along to people in the surrounding region.

"I'm not going to let one come to Kentucky that would pass along the cost of energy to the people of that region. We are not going to do that," Beshear said.

"Any data center that wants to look at Kentucky is going to have to pay for 100% of its own energy, and if it needs new means of production, it needs to pay for those too," Beshear added.

There is currently no law that protects Kentuckians from having their energy bills increase because of data center projects. Earlier this year, a bill that would have set up guardrails to protect existing utility ratepayers failed in the state General Assembly.

Beshear is urging communities facing data center proposals to attend meetings and voice their concerns, but he said to stay open-minded. Beshear said that some communities could benefit significantly from the tax revenue.

"Yes, we have concerns about energy prices, and we've got to address those. On the flipside, it could double the budget of many of our public school systems. It could help provide raises for teachers and educators. It could ensure we have money for transportation," he said.

"What I ask is that people attend the meetings and make sure that in addition to talking and expressing any concerns, we also listen, because there are instances where these aren't going to be right for communities, and there are instances where they can be a net positive," Beshear added.

A former Lexmark data center on Lexington's New Circle Road has been sold for $29 million and is set for expansion under new ownership.

DartPoints, a regional provider of colocation, cloud and interconnection solutions, acquired the data center campus, adding a strategically located expansion platform to its portfolio. The company said the site strengthens its ability to serve AI, hyperscale, neo-cloud and enterprise demand.

Haymaker Company, the commercial real estate agency that represented the seller, announced the sale on social media June 3. The firm said the property has strong infrastructure, excellent accessibility, and growing demand for technology-focused facilities, calling it a "tremendous opportunity for future office and data center operations."

"We're proud to help connect businesses and investors with opportunities that support the continued growth of Lexington," Haymaker Company said.

The Lexington campus spans around 343,000 square feet across 29.5 acres and includes roughly 81,000 square feet of existing raised-floor data center space. The property is fully zoned for data center use and includes an owned on-site substation.

DartPoints is developing the site to support a broad mix of next-generation workloads, including hyperscale, neo-cloud, inference AI, enterprise AI and other compute-intensive deployments, a release from the company read. Current planning provides a path to around 2030 MW in an initial phase, with longer-term expansion potential to 70 MW.

The future campus is intended to support dense next-generation environments with up to 200 kW per rack, 415V power, and a cooling architecture designed for both traditional air-cooled environments and direct-to-chip liquid cooling using closed-loop, low-water-use heat rejection, according to DartPoints.

Scott Willis, president and CEO of DartPoints, said Lexington stood out among potential sites.

"Lexington gives us a rare combination of existing infrastructure, a supportive power environment and the ability to scale in a meaningful way," Willis said. "As AI, neo-cloud and hyperscale demand continue to reshape the market, customers need sites that can support larger power footprints, denser deployments and long-term growth. Lexington gives us that platform."

The site benefits from active engagement with Kentucky Utilities, LG&E and local economic development stakeholders, which DartPoints said creates a faster path to market than a typical greenfield project.

Additional planning and redevelopment work is underway, with ready-for-service dates being finalized.

Demand for data centers continues to grow in Kentucky, and a program attorney at the Kentucky Resources Council is closely following the conversation.

"There are so many aspects to these data center projects just because they are so big," Byron Gary said.

Louisville Gas and Electric and Kentucky Utilities said it had upwards of 30 potential data center projects in the works this year, according to Kentucky's Public Service Commission.

Gary, a program attorney at the KRC, is now working to spread awareness about the need for transparency.

"The sooner that officials talk to their constituents and hear from them, the better," Gary said.

That is why the nonprofit KRC put out a model ordinance defining data centers, with a goal to more comprehensively regulate where they can be placed. One version is for counties that have comprehensive planning and zoning, and one is for counties without planning and zoning.

"Not the strictest regulation possible but one that covers as many angles of these developments as possible," Gary said.

In the past few months, we have been following developments in Mercer County, where a data center is being marketed on a site that is more than 550 acres.

In Mason County, LEX News sat down with Delsia Bare and her mother Ida Huddleston nearly three months ago two Mason County residents who rejected multi-million dollar offers for their land.

"I said I don't want your money, I don't need your money," Huddleston said at the time.

Mason County Fiscal Court voted and a data center in that county was approved last month.

Gary sends this message regarding local officials in every county.

"The earlier they can engage with their constituents and the more open and honest dialogue they can have with them, the better the process works," Gary said.

Gary said four data center projects were considered to be imminent back in March, with an 80 percent chance of completion after hearing from LG&E and KU.

A link to KRC's model ordinance is available here.

Gary adds that he represents a coalition of other non-profits before the public service commission to make sure that when the "contracts with utilities for these facilities are approved, they ensure they cover all of their own costs...so that any costs to serve new data centers don't end up getting passed on to existing rate-payers."

Meanwhile, after rejecting an initial draft last month, President Trump signed an executive order today surrounding data center expansion. Addressing new models, the order is asking AI companies to allow for a voluntary government review before releasing them to the public.

State lawmakers will return to the Capitol for the interim legislative session over the next few months, and one topic some of them say must be addressed is protecting Kentuckians from higher electrical bills if a data center is built in their community.

Data centers are currently being proposed across Kentucky, and several communities have been fighting to keep them out. One of the primary concerns is that data centers consume a massive amount of electricity, along with other resources.

Some lawmakers agree that Kentuckians shouldn't be left paying for the cost of supplying that extra energy.

"We have seen an incredible demand within Kentucky for data centers," Rep. Josh Bray, during a discussion of House Bill 593 earlier this year.

Bray introduced House Bill 593, which passed out of the Kentucky House of Representatives. The bill would have required companies building data centers to pay for any electrical infrastructure upgrades needed to supply the additional power and to pay for the power they use.

"We want to make sure that ratepayers aren't subsidizing or taking the risk on data center development," Bray said before the House voted yes on HB 593 in March.

Bray outlined what the bill would have required of incoming data center operators.

"We want to make sure that when they come in, they either bring in their own generation which a lot of big tech companies are wanting to do or they purchase their power on the open market or they prepay for any generation or transmission cost increases up front," Bray said.

The Kentucky House strongly supported the proposal, but the bill ran into trouble in the Kentucky Senate, where it ultimately failed.

Lawmakers indicated they are still looking into ways to legally protect Kentuckians.

TeraWulf Inc. has acquired a hyperscale high-performance computing development site in eastern Kentucky, expanding its portfolio of large-scale digital infrastructure campuses.

According to a press release, the new site, called the Muskie Data Campus, is expected to support more than 1 gigawatt of data center capacity over time. TeraWulf acquired the campus from Industrial Equity Partners.

Delivery of the initial 500 megawatts is expected to ramp beginning in the second half of 2028, with an additional 500 megawatts targeted for delivery in the second half of 2030, according to the release.

"We have long believed the Muskie Data Campus represented a compelling opportunity for large-scale digital infrastructure development in Eastern Kentucky," Jake Bronstein and Michael MacDougall, speaking on behalf of Industrial Equity Partners, said. "We believe TeraWulf brings the infrastructure expertise, power strategy, and execution capabilities needed to realize the project's full potential."

Located within the 1,000-acre EastPark Industrial Park, the site includes approximately 285 acres of owned and controlled land capable of supporting hyperscale AI and HPC infrastructure, with optional adjacent acreage to support future expansion, according to the release. Regional economic development leaders have identified the project as one of the most significant economic development opportunities in northeastern Kentucky in decades.

According to the release, Kentucky Power, an AEP Company, is constructing a 345 kV substation connected to the existing 765 kV transmission network, providing redundant, utility-scale power infrastructure designed to support the full 1+ GW campus. Transmission infrastructure and energy service agreements were executed concurrently with the acquisition.

The site is already zoned for its intended use, with permitting activities underway and limited site work required to support data center construction.

"This acquisition further reinforces the strategy we discussed on our first quarter earnings call: securing and developing large-scale, power-advantaged sites capable of supporting the next generation of HPC workloads. As we said then, the defining constraint in this market is no longer computing hardware it is power, transmission infrastructure, and execution certainty. The Muskie Data Campus directly aligns with that thesis," Paul Prager, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of TeraWulf, said. "Muskie combines scalable power, robust transmission infrastructure, development readiness, and strategic regional positioning in a way that is increasingly difficult to replicate. The campus will be purpose-built around utility-scale infrastructure, including dedicated transmission investments and long-term power delivery planning designed specifically to support hyperscale AI workloads."

According to the release, TeraWulf expects the Muskie Data Campus to generate substantial construction activity, long-term skilled employment opportunities, workforce development initiatives, infrastructure investment, and incremental tax revenue over time. The company said the project has support from the Governor's office, local county leadership, and regional economic development authorities.

The Muskie Data Campus is TeraWulf's second major digital infrastructure campus in Kentucky, alongside the company's 480 MW Justified Data campus in Hancock County, according to the release. TeraWulf said it intends to work with regional educational and workforce development institutions to support workforce training and long-term economic development initiatives associated with the campus.

Boyd County Judge Executive Eric Chany released the following statement on Facebook:

The Mercer County Joint Planning and Zoning Commission held a special meeting tonight to hear community frustrations regarding a proposed data center development before the Fiscal Court votes on the issue.

The county's proposed ordinance requires that data center facilities be located within the county's IT zoning district. Under the proposal, only 1,500 acres across the county can be used, and facilities must be at least 750 feet from residential areas.

Henry Smith, the lawyer for the planning commission, explained that the commission is trying to cater to both sides.

"We've done our best to regulate some of the concerns they brought to us traffic, noise, and the way that it's going to impact the community," Smith said.

However, the stakes remain high for those opposing the development. Hank Graddy, the attorney for the coalition "We Are Mercer County," is calling for a moratorium to protect the area's natural resources.

"We feel like they're rushing and we feel like they should slow down. Consider our comments and make some serious improvements," Graddy said.

Graddy expressed concerns about the proximity to homes and the lack of protection for agricultural land in the current comprehensive plan.

According to him, the "human health piece" is missing from the plan, especially considering those residents in range of a potential data center and the daily impacts.

"There should be a chapter in the comprehensive plan that says data centers here's where they should go, here's where they should not go. We don't have that. It's something that comprehensive plan does say protect farmland, and yet this ordinance doesn't say anything about protecting farmland," Graddy said.

Neighbors and local representatives urged the commission to consider the potentially irreversible effects of the project.

"The future of data centers in Mercer County is not just a regulatory issue, it is a broad planning issue, perhaps the single most impactful and complicated land use issue the county has ever faced," a lawyer representing Shaker Village said.

"I have faith that if you follow this process, you will come to understand that the land that spans from Harrodsburg to the Herrington Lake and to the Kentucky River is some of the most significant historic, prehistoric geological, agricultural, and biological land our entire state has to offer," another community member said. "The generations that come after us will judge you not by just what you build. But by what you choose not to destroy."

Residents of a Mason County mobile home park have three months to vacate their homes as a Fortune 50 company proposes building a data center on nearby land.

People living in Meadowland Village in Maysville recently received a letter from their landlord on behalf of DPD Property Management; the letter stated the park is under contract with a potential buyer.

The project developer is offering each resident up to $20,000 to cover moving expenses, but those expenses must be approved.

Pastor Greg Jones, who bought his home in the park seven years ago, described what he likes about the area.

"Quiet, man, quiet, oh yeah, no better place to live than out here man," Jones said.

His response to the letter?

"And my reply was I don't think that's gonna work," Jones said.

Roger Purcell, who is battling kidney disease, is another impacted resident. He has a ramp at his home that will need to be moved or rebuilt during the transition. A significant number of residents at the mobile home park are elderly and/or disabled. Now, everyone in the community is on edge.

"There's no trailer parks around here enough to even absorb half of these trailers," Purcell said.

Finding a new place to live is complicated by local laws. According to a Mason County ordinance, mobile homes are only allowed on rural residential or agricultural zoned areas. The lot size has to be five acres for agricultural land and one to two acres for rural residential land.

"Then you got water, electricity, sewage if your land don't perk, that's even twice as much," Purcell said.

Resident Rico Roberts shared a similar sentiment about the offer for moving expenses.

"$20,000 ain't nothing," Roberts said.

The displacement comes as a Fortune 50 company submitted a proposal to build a data center on more than 2,000 acres of farmland beside a residential area in Maysville.

LEX 18 reached out to Dusty Porter and DPD Property Management regarding Meadowland Village but has not heard back.

In addition, Hank Graddy filed suit against Mason County on behalf of residents. Here is a link to that document.

A mother and daughter in Mason County are rejecting multimillion-dollar offers for their land as a proposed data center project continues to move forward, and they say they're not budging.

Ida Huddleston has been offered $60,000 an acre for her 71-acre property to make way for the project; she has turned down the offer multiple times.

"What they've proposed and carried on it's not a business deal, it's a mind harassment," Huddleston said.

Her message to the developers remains the same.

"I said I don't want your money, I don't need your money, but I do feel sorry for everybody around us," she said. "They're gonna be affected by it."

Her daughter, Delsia Bare, has also declined to sell. Bare turned down a $48,000-an-acre offer for her 463-acre property.

Adding to their frustration is the fact that the Fortune 100 company behind the project has not been publicly identified.

"When they will not reveal who they are that's a major player in what you're going to do with the rest of your life if you are stuck here or even if you are leaving here," Bare said.

LEX 18 has been following this story since last spring. In December, LEX 18 reported on Andy Grosser and his father, Timothy, who rejected nearly $8 million for their farm at the same proposed data center site.

The data center would be located at Big Pond Pike in Mason County. Tyler McHugh, economic development director for the Maysville-Mason County Industrial Development Authority, pointed out to LEX 18 in October that the project would create 400 full-time positions along with more than 1,500 construction jobs.

"As far as jobs would go, they would become if not our largest employer, definitely top three," McHugh said.

Bare is skeptical of those projections.

"My guess is you won't have over 50 and they won't even be here at this building when it's said and done," Bare said.

As for what comes next, Huddleston's position is clear.

"I'm staying put," she said.

Mason County Fiscal Court is still reviewing the project. A data center regulation ordinance recently passed changed the residential setback from 500 to 750 feet.

More than 1,700 residents have signed a petition opposing a potential data center in Mercer County, and dozens gathered at a public meeting on Wednesday night to voice their opposition to the project.

The meeting, which lasted several hours, drew hundreds of residents who came and went throughout the proceedings. Nearly 50 people signed up to share their thoughts on the controversial proposal.

"It has no business, no business in Mercer County," William Lawson said.

Many residents think local officials haven't been transparent throughout this process.

"Our overall feeling is that we've been, we've been betrayed almost by the people we've put in power," Ethan Kestler said.

Harley Baker raised concerns about the project's impact on local employment and the area's horse farms.

"It doesn't bring jobs to Mercer County other than just the workers to build it and then they leave, but it is very possibly a job killing because the horse farms in the area they cannot train with those low frequencies disturbing their horse," Baker said.

Dr. Rick Angel spoke about the broader community impact, citing concerns about residents' quality of life.

"Folks feel loss of control over their environment, light pollution, constant industrial presence, and shown to have increased anxiety," Angel said.

The meeting included a presentation by a consultant hired by the Planning and Zoning Committee to analyze the project's pros and cons. The consultant highlighted the economic impact of data centers in Virginia, which supported more than $31 billion in total economic output in 2023.

However, many residents questioned whether Virginia's experience would translate to Mercer County, with some residents questioning the presentation itself.

"What's proposed is on very lucrative and some of the best farmland in the state of Kentucky, and it has a historical area that is right next to Shakertown," Baker said. "That was a very pro-data center presentation and did not include the negatives."

The tension in the room was evident, with at least one person being removed from the meeting during the proceedings.

A grassroots opposition movement in Mercer County is gaining momentum as residents fight against a potential data center that they say could forever change their rural way of life.

An online petition against the proposed development has more than doubled in a week, now collecting over 1,700 signatures ahead of a joint planning and zoning commission meeting Wednesday night.

"Because once it's built, there's no turning back. The structure will be there and it's not, it'll be irreversible," said Robin Dean, a local resident leading the opposition.

"No Data Center" signs now line houses along Moore Lane, where residents are voicing concerns about the project's impact on their community.

The exact location of the data center has not been determined, but Caitlyn Cooper, co-owner of Desmar Stables, said if the facility is placed behind their farm, noise pollution would force them to relocate their horse business.

"They are looking at some of the most prime farmland in Kentucky, it is the best soil quality in Kentucky," Cooper said.

"That kind of noise would literally just ruin their lives. It would make them dangerous for people to ride, it would make them dangerous for us to train," Cooper added.

Local residents first learned about the project several months ago through a LinkedIn post from a Chicago-based group seeking investors. They have been searching for answers ever since.

Dean fears the impact will extend beyond their immediate neighborhood and worries about setting a precedent for future development.

"Once you start going down that road of zoning farmland for data centers, where does it stop? At that point, there's no farm safe in Mercer County, no rural community that's going to be safe," Dean said.

Residents also have concerns about potential increases to utility costs.

"You would like to think that your utilities would not go up - water, electricity - somebody is gonna have to bear the cost," Dean said.

The Harrodsburg-Mercer County Industrial Development Authority says they have received numerous inquiries about data centers in the area. It's a sought-after location because of the county's extremely high voltage transmission lines and power plant.

Local schools are also weighing in on the potential development. In an official statement, school officials say they aren't taking any sides but mention that a project this size could generate nearly $30 million annually in local school revenue.

The project is up for discussion this Wednesday, February 18th at a joint Planning and Zoning Commission meeting to be held at the Mercer County Fairgrounds.

A Mercer County resident is organizing opposition to potential data center development ahead of a public meeting scheduled for next week.

Dr. Diane Floyd, who moved to the county in 2020, has started a Change.org petition that received more than 700 signatures in less than a week opposing any construction of a data center in Mercer County.

"We're still working on getting organized," Floyd said.

Floyd is part of a citizen action group preparing to attend a joint Planning and Zoning Commission meeting at the fairgrounds on February 18.

Public comment from the community will take place at the 5 p.m. meeting on February 18 after presentations on data centers, including one from a data center consultant hired by the joint Planning and Zoning Commission.

"Our data center consultant is going to show up and have a beautiful presentation with all sorts of bells and whistles about what a great thing this would be for Mercer County," Floyd said.

While Floyd supports growth in the county, she thinks a data center is a bad idea due to "the detriment it will have on our precious farmland" and "the potential future impact on tourism."

The exact location of a possible data center in Mercer County remains unclear.

"There was a post on LinkedIn five months ago by JLL Properties and the person who actually posted, their name is Sean Reynolds, so JLL is a group out of Chicago and they were actually asking for investors to invest in this property that was already marked in the LinkedIn Post and also had our power grid lines in the post requesting investors," Floyd noted.

"We don't know the radius of potential environmental impact and what kind of infrastructure is already there," Floyd said.

Floyd expressed concern that community leaders may have already made up their minds about the project.

"Most of the community leaders already have a pretty formed decision," she said.

With nine days until the public hearing, Floyd is encouraging community participation.

"The more Mercer countians that show up to this meeting, the more likely we are to be heard and taken seriously," Floyd said.

After LEX 18 reached out Monday, the Joint Planning and Zoning Commission, Industrial Development Authority and Judge Executive Sarah Steele did not respond to requests for comment. There's a Mercer County Fiscal Court meeting at 10 a.m. Monday.

Kentucky lawmakers are preparing for the artificial intelligence data center boom with legislation designed to shield residents from higher utility bills.

The Kentucky Ratepayer Protection Act, introduced by Representative Adam Moore (D-District 45), would prevent everyday Kentuckians from paying for the massive electricity infrastructure needed to power possible incoming data centers.

"If they are coming into Kentucky and they're bringing the things they are promising to do, they're not doing it on the backs of the average Kentuckian," Moore said.

Moore said he has heard from many Kentuckians who fear that data centers will cause their utility bills to increase. That concern has some merit, as data centers consume enormous amounts of energy and often require new power infrastructure to meet their electricity demands.

In other states, there are examples of power generation expansion for data centers leading to increased energy bills for local communities. Moore's bill aims to prevent that scenario in Kentucky.

"Anything new that is generation, transmission, distribution that solely serves data centers cannot be passed on to other customer classes," Moore said. "Now, anything that provides a dual benefit... they can pay on the existing cost of that and that can be shared proportionally. But, anything new that solely serves the data centers has to be paid by them and cannot go to other customer classes. "

The legislation focuses specifically on electricity costs, though Moore acknowledged other concerns about data centers exist, including water usage and noise pollution. He said he initially included those issues in his bill but decided to narrow the focus to improve its chances of passage in the General Assembly.

"What can we get passed that really meets the main need? And the main need is to make sure that people's electricity is affordable and that they're not paying for these things that are coming in by these multi-billion dollar corporations," Moore said.

Power company executives have previously told Kentucky lawmakers that local communities should welcome data centers for the millions of dollars they would bring in local tax revenue. Lawmakers have agreed that Kentucky must compete in the data center market but have emphasized that any AI-related legislation should address local concerns.

A Mason County family is turning down offers of nearly $8 million for their farmland as part of a Fortune 100 company's proposed billion-dollar hyper scale data center project.

Andy Grosser and his father, Timothy, raise cattle on rolling pastures along KY 3056 (Germantown Road), where they've been offered $35,000 per acre. The offer came in March from a group representing the data center development.

"They stressed that time was of the essence and they wanted responses really fast, like within the next five days," Grosser said.

Despite the substantial financial offer, the Grossers' have no intention of selling.

"We do not want to sell," Grosser said. "The farm is my dad's and it means everything to him."

The proposed data center would be located in the Big Pond Pike area, raising concerns among residents about the environmental and quality-of-life impacts.

"Everybody that lives out here is fond of the landscape," Grosser said. "They're gonna be stuck hearing it seeing it smelling it."

Dr. David Hein, chair of pharmacology at the University of Louisville, has studied the potential regional impacts of the project.

"What I've tried to bring to the conversation is the regional impact that this can have on the air quality which effects people in the entire region," Hein said.

Tyler McHugh, economic development director for the Maysville-Mason County Industrial Development Authority, expressed confidence about noise concerns in October.

"I feel very good specifically about the noise piece," McHugh said. "I think the nearest resident will be three quarters of a mile away when it's all said and done."

Grosser believes the county has other industrial areas that could accommodate the data center without displacing farming families.

"If we feel like this thing needs to come here, make sure that everything is done right," Grosser said.

The Mason County Joint Planning Commission will hold special meetings next Tuesday and Wednesday, during which the public will have a chance to comment on the proposal.

A Fortune 100 company's proposed billion-dollar data center project in Mason County has sparked both excitement and concern among residents as the community grapples with questions about economic benefits versus potential environmental and quality-of-life impacts.

The hyperscale data center would be located on Big Pond Pike and could create 400 full-time positions along with more than 1,500 construction jobs, according to Tyler McHugh, Economic Development Director for the Maysville-Mason County Industrial Development Authority.

"As far as jobs would go, they would become if not our largest employer, definitely top three," McHugh said.

The project discussions began near the end of last year when Eastern Kentucky Power approached local officials to explore whether Maysville could accommodate the facility.

"We were approached from representation from Eastern Kentucky Power. They were the ones initially contacted to see if Maysville could fit," McHugh said.

McHugh believes the data center could serve as a catalyst for additional economic development in the area.

"We see this as the domino that sort of gets more attention back to Mason County and Maysville," he said.

However, not all residents share his enthusiasm. At a recent Mason County Fiscal Court meeting, Max Moran expressed concerns about the lack of transparency surrounding the project.

"Right now all I want is questions answered," Moran said. "At first I was for the idea of it, but with the way things have progressed, I'm more on the err of caution."

Opposition to the project has organized around an online petition called "Save Mason County," which features the words "NO DATA CENTER, NOT HERE, NOT NOW, NEVER."

Jennifer Setty-Botkin, who is involved with the petition effort, said community resistance is growing.

"We have over 500 Mason County residents, those are confirmed Mason County residents, who have signed," Setty-Botkin said.

The concerns extend beyond local opposition. Dr. Natasha DeJarnett, an assistant professor of medicine at the University of Louisville, emphasized the importance of careful site selection for data centers.

"Location has to be considered very carefully, health impact assessments must be required to ensure this isn't posing an additional health burden," DeJarnett said.

Among the specific concerns raised by residents are air quality impacts, increased traffic, and noise pollution from the facility's operations.

When asked about noise concerns, McHugh said the county would investigate but expressed confidence the issue could be managed.

"We'll look into that but I have no concerns about the noise for residents," McHugh said.

Dr. David Hein, U of L Professor and Chair of Pharmacology and Toxicology emphasizes another aspect of the conversation regarding air pollution from a regional standpoint.

"The first thing developers and county leaders will state when you have concerns about a data center is it's just a 'not in my backyard issue.' Noise in some ways is a 'not in my backyard issue.' So what I've tried to bring to the conversation is the regional impact that this can have on the air quality which affects people in the entire region," Hein said.

The next Mason County Fiscal Court meeting is scheduled for November 12, where residents expect continued discussion of the proposal. McHugh said the county continues to examine whether the project remains viable, though he cannot yet reveal the name of the Fortune 100 company involved.

The debate reflects broader tensions communities face when weighing major industrial development projects that promise economic benefits while raising environmental and quality-of-life questions.

Every internet search, photo upload, and ChatGPT query relies on a physical home: a data center.

As AI and cloud services grow, companies are constructing more data centers to meet the demand.

Last year, Kentucky joined the competition to recruit such centers by offering tax incentives to companies looking for locations to build.

Now, it appears companies are taking note.

First hyperscale data center in Kentucky

Troy Morrison has lived in southwestern Louisville for over three decades.

At the end of his street lies a massive plot of land on Camp Ground Road that he said was once an old pig farm.

"My neighbor called me and said, did you hear what they're building in that empty field?" he said.

Last month, Morrison was surprised to learn that this site will be developed to become Kentucky's first "hyperscale" data center.

It will be one of many in development across the country by PowerHouse Data Centers, based in Virginia.

"The data center is at the heart of our digital lives, anything that we're doingyou're watching a Netflix movie or you're sending an email or doing a Zoom call," explained Matt Monaco, senior vice president of asset management & development at PowerHouse.

He explained there are four factors that PowerHouse looks for when scouting locations to build: large amounts of power, water availability, fiber access and the local business environment.

Economic benefits

The Louisville project is expected to bring "thousands" of jobs, according to Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg.

The substantial economic benefits of data centers can be seen most clearly in Virginia, which is currently the world's data center capital.

Virginia's Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC) released a report in 2024, detailing some of the benefits.

The report states the data center industry is expected to contribute over $9 billion in GDP to the state's economy every year, and can generate "substantial" tax revenue for the areas housing them.

The hidden costs of data centers

The economic benefits come with concerns over the energy required to power them.

John Bevington, Senior Director of Business & Economic Development at PPL Corp., the parent company of LG&E and KU, anticipates a substantial increase in the number of data centers nationwide and hopes Kentucky will attract more.

These new facilities, however, require significant energy.

The Louisville data center alone will use about 400 megawatts (MW), equivalent to the consumption of anywhere from 160,000 to 360,000 houses, per electricity usage estimates shared by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

"Data centers use a tremendous amount of electricity, and there's some estimates they're showing it could use up to 12% of all US electricity by 2028," said Lane Boldman, executive director of the Kentucky Conservation Committee.

Her concerns center on the potential environmental impacts, such as the great amount of water usage to cool data centers and potential strain on the power grid.

The Kentucky Conservation Committee is calling for the state to implement regulations to ensure energy efficiency and a focus on renewable energy.

Is Kentucky ready?

LEX 18 asked both PowerHouse and PPL Corp. if Kentucky is prepared to meet such power demands, especially if more data centers are constructed in the future.

"Oh, absolutely," said Monaco. "I mean, we wouldn't have been able to kind of do all the things that we're doing there, and I think LG&E is also thinking about the future. Thinking about this one, but also thinking about the second one and the third."

LG&E and KU assured residents that Kentucky is prepared for a data center boom and that residents won't bear the financial burden. In a statement, the utility company wrote:

Despite assurances from Monaco and LG&E and KU that Kentucky's infrastructure can support this demand, concerns persist.

On his quiet street in Louisville, Morrison weighs the potential risks and benefits of the new data center.

"It's gonna give some jobs to people, but most likely, nobody around here," Morrison said of his neighborhood.

While some see it as a sign of progress, he and others remain cautious about the future. Activists and residents alike hope that Kentucky can benefit from the economic boost from data centers, while moving forward responsibly.

In 2021, a bill was signed into law designed to help make the state a national leader in the crypto-mining industry.

On Thursday, LEX 18 Investigates went to Frankfort to ask the three bill sponsors if they were aware of the constant noise and disruption impacting those who live near the crypto mine in Wolfe County. We were only able to talk to one of them.

Representative Patrick Flannery (R - Olive Hill) listened to video of the noise.

Im just now becoming familiar with this issue, Flannery said. I guess if that's what they hear, I can understand their concerns.

Representative Patrick Flannery says local governments can deal with noise issues by passing ordinances.

Some counties are resistant to passing noise ordinances that could unintentionally stifle other businesses.

When asked if the state could do anything, Flannery said that he had not been contacted by anyone experiencing issues with crypto mines but that lawmakers could look into it.

I'm sure there's something we can do, Flannery said. This issue has not been discussed in committee and if it is, I'd be glad to look into it.

LEX 18 is still trying to reach the other two sponsors of the bill, which offers tax exemptions to encourage industry growth in the state.

So far, its unclear how many crypto mines are already operating in Kentucky. LEX 18 has reached out to the governors office and other state agencies, but so far, it isnt clear how or if the mines are tracked.

Last week, LEX 18 talked with neighbors of a Wolfe County crypto mine that are disturbed by the non-stop noise of the operation.

Dr. Daniel Lau, an electrical and computer engineering professor at the University of Kentucky, has been watching as crypto mines pop up around the country, and he thinks Kentucky should take note of the concerns.

The number one rule for bitcoin mining is dont put it near people, Lau said.

But the mines are still showing up near homes.

You are literally hurting people, Lau said of the impacts of the industry. "You're hurting them because you're making their lives miserable because of the sound, or you're hurting them because you're taking away whatever value they have in their home. Or you're making them pay more for electricity.

The non-stop humming noise that draws complaints from people who live near the mines comes from fans used to cool the high-powered computers inside the facilities.

Lau said that most efforts to lessen the noise at other mines havent worked in the past.

Beyond that, the crypto mines use a massive amount of power, which is why they are often built near substations.

Over a gigawatt of Kentucky's electricity goes toward bitcoin mining, Lau said. And to give you an idea of how much electricity that is, that's the average amount of electricity produced by a nuclear reactor."

That figure is about two years old, Lau says, and he thinks now its closer to one and a half gigawatts.

When you take one and a half gigawatts of electricity out of Kentuckys power grid, theres essentially no way that you can do that without affecting the rates that consumers pay, Lau said.

And for all the power used, Lau said the facilities dont employ many people.

Lau compared Georgetowns Toyota plant to a large Bitcoin mine in Navarro County, Texas. He said that if the Toyota plant was expanded to use as much electricity as the Texas bitcoin mine, it would employ over 149 thousand people, while the bitcoin mine employs closer to 400 people.

A small mine like the one in Wolfe County may only employ four or five people.

A bitcoin mine, people dont realize, is largely, theyre fully autonomous, and theyre run remotely, Lau said.

So while a Bitcoin mine might create a handful of security jobs, theyre not creating high-paying programming jobs, Lau said.

Based on power usage, Lau estimates there could be anywhere from 50 to 200 bitcoin mines in the state.

But so far, LEX 18 has not been able to get a conclusive number or find out what agency, if any, tracks crypto mines in the state.

In Wolfe County, a crypto mine has caused concern over the constant noise of fans that cool the facilitys computer servers.

The centers have popped up around the country, often in rural, economically deprived areas with few zoning laws.

In Arkansas, a Republican state senator is one of several pushing back.

A lot of times these things were kind of popping up like mushrooms after a spring rain, Sen. Bryan King said.

King said his efforts to rein in the companies building crypto mines in his state have been limited by a recently passed law that prevents local governments from regulating the facilities with zoning or sound ordinances.

They're taking advantage of the counties much like mine and much like my district where you're living in rural areas. We like the idea of not having zoning, King said. We like the idea of having no rules, to basically do what we want to and they're taking advantage of those.

King says the early information about what crypto mines do and will bring to the state was deceptive, so he voted for the law. Its a choice he regrets.

The best thing we can do is to put that facility right next to the capitol and I bet the thing would be shut down within three days, King said.

King said hes also concerned by how little is known about what happens in the facilities. He thinks it could be a national security issue.

Hes also shared concerns about the massive amount of electricity used at each crypto-mining facility.

The one that tried to go in Harrison Arkansas was going to use 10 megawatts, which uses enough power for six, seven thousand homes, yet only employ two to three people."

For some neighbors of the facilities in Arkansas, the benefits dont outweigh the hassle.

They're taking advantage of these people's good nature, being welcoming, trying to bring jobs to the area, King said.

Like in Wolfe County, King says a company in Arkansas offered to build walls to lessen the noise. But in Arkansas, he said the wall didnt make much difference.

You know, it doesn't look like much of a wall, King said. It maybe looked like a really kind of canvas on a backstop maybe."

Wolfe County is known for its hiking trails and rugged beauty but some who live there complain that a new facility is drowning out the peace.

Brenda Campbell has lived in her home off of Ky.-1036 for 43 years, nestled in the hills and surrounded by trees.

But now she says an unannounced new neighbor has disturbed her peace. The Kentucky Lantern first reported the dilemma.

Campbell said the facility, owned by Houston-based Artemis Power Tech, began operation in August.

Since then, the persistent drone of the facility's fans has filled the area day and night. The fans are in place to keep the high-powered computer equipment in the small metal buildings cool.

"At first when you come out and you hear it, you think well, it's not that bad," Campbell said. "But then all day, 24 hours, no matter where you go or what you do it's there."

The facility is just up the hill from Campbell's home. She said beyond the noise, she's noticed fewer birds around her home since the operation began.

"It's always been serene," Campbell said of the area. "Lots of animals around. But this has really interfered with our peace."

Campbell and the county's judge executive said there was no notice before the company set up shop. No ordinances in the county would have required the company to ask the county before moving in.

"We should have a voice," Campbell said. "I mean this should have been discussed maybe a fiscal court meeting but it should have been discussed somewhere."

Judge Executive Raymond Banks said that he understands neighbors' frustrations with the noise and that there was no notice that the company was moving in.

"They've set up shop without asking anybody to start with," Banks said. "But they are trying to address the problem. I feel really good about them solving the problem."

Banks said he's spoken with a representative of the company who said that a barrier wall would be put in to address the noise problem.

Some have called for a noise ordinance in the county to address the problem. Still, Banks believes such an ordinance could have unintended impacts on existing or future businesses in the county.

"A county ordinance goes a long way," Banks said. "You know, we've been without a round track for several years now, and we finally got our round track up and going. And if I put in a noise restriction then this guy's going to have to close his round track down. And that brings people into our county, money into our county."

He went on to say that Wolfe County is one of the poorest counties in the state.

"Anything we get here is better than nothing," Banks said. "Cause we don't have much."

Banks acknowledges that the crypto mining facility likely won't bring in many jobs and said the amount of tax money it could bring in needs to be clarified. He said the matter is set to be discussed at next month's fiscal court meeting.

"Is it worth it? Probably not," Banks said of the facility. "But it's already here and you can't just say you've got to leave, I don't think that's the answer."

Campbell's home has a hill that blocks some of the noise from the facility, but for some in the area, nothing stands between the noise and their homes but trees.

"Back during the summer when all the leaves were on the trees you couldn't hear it as bad now when leaves are falling off," said 15-year-old Carson Gabbard. "The leaves blocked some of it out."

Gabbard said that the drone of the fans can't be heard inside his family's home.

"Now when we try to do anything outside, we can be over in our building or anything, and all we hear is that big loud noise," Gabbard said.

For Campbell, the fact that there are few regulations on the relatively new industry of crypto mining is a concern.

"I would love an environmental study on this noise," Campbell said. "On humans and on animals. I think it's greatly needed."

For now, Campbell hopes that the fast-growing industry doesn't continue to swoop into rural communities and drown out their natural beauty.

"Why put this in a rural residential area?" Campbell said. "I mean if you have to, if you have to have this then put it in an industrial park. Put it on an old strip job. Don't put it in a neighborhood."

LEX 18 reached out to Artemis Power Tech for comment and left contact information with an employee of the facility but has yet to hear back before publication.