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With 13 active data center projects across Missouri, residents are questioning energy and water use as developers also eye Southeast Missouri land. -
![Gov. Mike Kehoe acknowledged some Montgomery County residents' concerns about electricity prices and environmental impacts at the announcement in High Hill of a Google data center this week, but said the company had "done [the] work to ensure that their growth does not come at the expense of the community this center calls home."](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/e341a42/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1536x856+0+36/resize/280x156!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fb3%2F4d%2F2d75fb124257a24c5611fa6ee413%2Fimg-4183-1536x921.jpeg)
Supporters say the $15 billion project will bring jobs and tax revenue. Some residents say no one asked them. -
Illinois continues to be a hotspot for data center construction. According to Datacenters.com, affordable real estate and reliable power supply have made the state an attractive choice for data center development – although those factors don't always sit well with some residents of rural communities.
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![Gov. Mike Kehoe acknowledged some Montgomery County residents' concerns about electricity prices and environmental impacts at the announcement in High Hill of a Google data center this week, but said the company had "done [the] work to ensure that their growth does not come at the expense of the community this center calls home."](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/d40aacb/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1536x856+0+36/resize/560x312!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fb3%2F4d%2F2d75fb124257a24c5611fa6ee413%2Fimg-4183-1536x921.jpeg)
