City officials, utility leaders and environmental advocates will gather to discuss what the rapid growth of data centers means for Indianapolis.

The virtual forum will take place at 6 p.m. June 24, and be live-streamed on the Facebook pages of the African American Coalition of Indianapolis and the Indianapolis Recorder.

Panelists include Jeff Harrison, president and CEO of Citizens Energy Group; Brandi Davis-Handy, president of AES Indiana; Ben Inskeep, a member of Citizens Action Coalition; and Maggie Lewis, president of City-County Council. The panel will be moderated by Marshawn Wolley, president of Black Onyx Management.

Data centers, which are used to power energy-intensive A.I. technology, have come under increased scrutiny amid concerns about rising utility bills and environmental impacts. A recent Gallup poll found that 7 in 10 Americans oppose local construction of data centers for artificial intelligence.

Some communities are outright banning additional data centers, while others are reckoning with how to balance the needs of industry with those of their residents.

Attendees can submit questions ahead of time through an online form.

Mirror Indy, a nonprofit newsroom, is funded through grants and donations from individuals, foundations and organizations.

Peter Blanchard covers local government. Reach him at 317-605-4836 or peter.blanchard@mirrorindy.org. Follow him on X @peterlblanchard.

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Indy invited to weigh in on data center growth

by Peter Blanchard, Mirror Indy
June 22, 2026

<h1>Indy invited to weigh in on data center growth</h1> <p class="byline">by Peter Blanchard, Mirror Indy <br />June 22, 2026</p> <p>City officials, utility leaders and environmental advocates will gather to discuss what the rapid growth of data centers means for Indianapolis.</p> <p>The virtual forum will take place at 6 p.m. June 24, and be live-streamed on the Facebook pages of the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/p/African-American-Coalition-of-Indianapolis-AACI-100064541749015/">African American Coalition of Indianapolis</a> and the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/IndyRecorder/">Indianapolis Recorder</a>.</p> <p>Panelists include Jeff Harrison, president and CEO of Citizens Energy Group; Brandi Davis-Handy, president of AES Indiana; Ben Inskeep, a member of Citizens Action Coalition; and Maggie Lewis, president of City-County Council. The panel will be moderated by <a href="https://www.blackonyxmanagement.com/team/marshawnwolley/">Marshawn Wolley</a>, president of Black Onyx Management.</p> <p><a href="https://mirrorindy.org/data-centers/">Data centers</a>, which are used to power <a href="https://mirrorindy.org/indianapolis-data-centers-raise-electric-bills-aes-duke/">energy-intensive A.I. technology</a>, have <a href="https://mirrorindy.org/how-indianapolis-residents-use-data-centers-martindale-brightwood-decatur-township/">come under increased scrutiny</a> amid concerns about rising utility bills and environmental impacts. A <a href="https://news.gallup.com/poll/709772/americans-oppose-data-centers-area.aspx">recent Gallup poll</a> found that 7 in 10 Americans oppose local construction of data centers for artificial intelligence.</p> <p>Some communities are outright banning additional data centers, while others are reckoning with how to balance the needs of industry with those of their residents.</p> <p>Attendees can submit questions ahead of time through <a href="https://blackonyxresearch.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_23L2ygJ92F85bOC?Q_CHL=qr">an online form</a>.</p> <p><em>Mirror Indy, a nonprofit newsroom, is </em><a href="https://mirrorindy.org/donors/"><em>funded through grants and donations</em></a><em> from individuals, foundations and organizations.</em></p> <p><em>Peter Blanchard covers local government. Reach him at 317-605-4836 or peter.blanchard@mirrorindy.org. Follow him on X</em><a href="https://twitter.com/peterlblanchard"><em> </em><em>@peterlblanchard</em></a><em>.</em></p> <p>This &lt;a target=&quot;_blank&quot; href=&quot;https://mirrorindy.org/data-center-forum-african-american-coalition-indianapolis/&quot;&gt;article&lt;/a&gt; first appeared on &lt;a target=&quot;_blank&quot; href=&quot;https://mirrorindy.org&quot;&gt;Mirror Indy&lt;/a&gt; and is republished here under a &lt;a target=&quot;_blank&quot; href=&quot;https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/&quot;&gt;Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;img src=&quot;https://i0.wp.com/mirrorindy.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/cropped-Mirror-Indy-square-logo-1.png?resize=150%2C150&amp;amp;ssl=1&quot; style=&quot;width:1em;height:1em;margin-left:10px;&quot;&gt;</p> &lt;img id=&quot;republication-tracker-tool-source&quot; src=&quot;https://mirrorindy.org/?republication-pixel=true&amp;post=84223&amp;amp;ga4=G-X0R0QW371R&quot; style=&quot;width:1px;height:1px;&quot;&gt;&lt;script&gt; PARSELY = { autotrack: false, onload: function() { PARSELY.beacon.trackPageView({ url: &quot;https://mirrorindy.org/data-center-forum-african-american-coalition-indianapolis/&quot;, urlref: window.location.href }); } } &lt;/script&gt; &lt;script id=&quot;parsely-cfg&quot; src=&quot;//cdn.parsely.com/keys/mirrorindy.org/p.js&quot;&gt;&lt;/script&gt;

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