Our community in Logan County, IL faces a critical decision that affects our future, our farmland, and our way of life. The proposed rezoning case, RZ-01-25, aims to pave the way for an AI data center and big tech developments, which threaten our agricultural land and could dramatically increase our living costs.

According to The Illinois Times Article posted 2/3 

"Logan County is considering following Sangamon County’s example and changing its county zoning law to allow for a data center in an agricultural zone through a conditional use permit so zoning wouldn’t need to change from agricultural to industrial, Green said.

The Logan County Board’s zoning committee could discuss this proposed change as soon as March 2, with the full board discussing the change at its workshop meeting March 19 and a final board vote taking place March 24.

The Logan County Regional Planning Commission would make a nonbinding recommendation on the change in county zoning law at its March 4 meeting, with the county’s Zoning Board of Appeals making a nonbinding recommendation at its March 5 meeting.

If that change takes place, and if Hut 8 refiles its proposal, Green said votes on a conditional permitted use for Hut 8 could take place in April."

Hut 8 Hosted an informal, open house Feb 4th. A recap of that meeting was published here.

The Logan County Board hosted a public meeting January 21st and discuss a proposed ordinance for data centers  (there are no existing ordinances for data centers in Logan County). The public was engaged in comments and questions throughout, all of which were addressed by the board members who attended and the Zoning Officer. Many residents were able to share further concerns and ask questions during the public comments.

For the most recent updates follow https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61586806886946 

According to a recent post on X by Blockspace then shared by CEO Asher Genoot, a meeting will be held by The Logan County Board on January 20th. Hut 8 has created a dedicated email address for questions or concerns that will be sent directly to their team.
logancountydatacenter@hut8.com

Based on available reports from the January 5, 2026, public meeting and related coverage, Hut 8 has not yet obtained or presented a formal feasibility statement for the grid interconnection of their proposed 500 MW data center in Latham, Logan County. Instead, they have only received "informal indications" from Ameren that adequate power capacity would be available on the grid and that the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) would likely approve the request once formally submitted.

Hut 8 released their deck of powerpoint slides which they clicked through at the Jan. 5th meeting. 

The previously scheduled January 7, 2026 Regional Planning Commission Meeting AND January 8 Zoning Board Hearing has been postponed. 

NEW ZONING ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT MEETING:
The public is INVITED to attend the Zoning Economic Development meeting January 5, 2026 7pm at the Logan County Courthouse. Developer Hut 8 will give a presentation about the proposed Data Center and Question and Answer is scheduled to follow.

There is a physical petition to sign at: BB’S BFE’s: 2371 IL-121, Latham, IL 62543, USA

WLCN 96.3 had a discussion regarding Hut 8's plan for the data center build on 12/31/2025

HUT 8 (BlackRock is a major institutional investor in Hut 8 Corp., a Bitcoin mining and data center company.), Meta and other big Tech corporations have been expanding their data center infrastructure rapidly, with a focus on AI capabilities, leading to facilities that consume significant power—often in the hundreds of megawatts to gigawatts range.

The introduction of such tech industry giants come with steep rises in energy costs for all residents and small businesses. Recently in Kansas City, Missouri residents utility bills projected to rise up to $226/month ($2,714/year) by 2035 due to AI-driven demand straining the grid.  
https://www.stlpr.org/health-science-environment/2025-10-20/data-centers-ameren-missouri-28m-electric-bills-rise 

 Studies show that regions introducing extensive tech infrastructures often witness unavoidable cost increases and environmental impacts. A report by the American Farmland Trust emphasizes the importance of preserving farmland to sustain local economies, uphold environmental standards, and support community welfare. Logan county will need infrastructure upgrades to mitigate the rise in electricity costs to average Americans. 

 According to Illinois Times it's likely that the new data center in Latham, IL could be 2X the size of a recent Bitcoin mining data center out of Marathon Digital's Texas Facility.  However this is not confirmed. Environmental impacts for protected species, like the bald eagle, should be surveyed.

Residents in Granbury, TX have expressed strongly negative feedback, primarily centered on severe noise pollution from the site's cooling fans and operations.  Locals describe the constant, jet-engine-like humming as "torture," leading to widespread health issues including migraines, hearing loss, vertigo, sleep deprivation, and even cardiovascular problems.  
texastribune.org
This has sparked multiple lawsuits against Marathon Digital, with over two dozen residents suing in October 2024 for creating a public nuisance, and ongoing complaints to local authorities.  
Community efforts to address the issue included a failed November 2025 vote to incorporate the area as a city, which would have allowed zoning regulations to mitigate the noise—supporters aimed to force sound barriers or operational changes, but the measure didn't pass.  
texastribune.org +1
Additional concerns involve environmental impacts, such as increased CO2 emissions from the gas-powered plant and strain on the local power grid, though noise remains the dominant grievance.  
greensourcetexas.org

A recent Hut 8 data center build out of Batavia, IL "According to the City of Batavia’s Electric Department Director, the data center will impact Batavia’s ability to grow and provide additional electric service."  "Due to the size of the data center’s energy load, it is not feasible to serve them under the City of Batavia’s Power Sales Agreement with the Northern Illinois Municipal Power Agency. Their anticipated demand would consume nearly all of the City’s 55 MW allocation. " Hut 8 has not responded to media request and has some general information listed on their website under press releases  that includes expansions sites but it's unclear if "Site 04" is specific to Logan County.