SUNDAY OCT 25: Community Gathering Scheduled in Southeast Fort Wayne to Address Concerns for Air, Water, Wetlands, and Quality of Life Near Google Data Center
Protect Allen County Coalition invites you to join a nonviolent community gathering for Allen County residents, especially neighbors in New Haven living near Google’s Project Zodiac campus. Residents will share their stories and discuss solutions on air quality, wetlands and wildlife, energy affordability and grid reliability, and overall quality of life.
WHEN: Sunday, October 25, 2026, 2:00–4:00 p.m.
WHERE: Parking & Shuttle at 6501 Wayne Trace, Fort Wayne, IN 46816
WHY NOW:
Google’s developer has asked IDEM for 228 more emergency diesel generators, after IDEM approved 140+ more in April despite a public hearing where more than three hundred residents appeared in-person to oppose the request. If approved, Google’s data center campus would have over 400 industrial diesel-fueled generators on site.
IDEM recently approved the destruction of 2.13 more acres of protected wetlands for Phase 3 of Google’s data center project. Evidence suggests unpermitted habitat destruction in recent months, violating the law and protections for endangered species. Three separate parties have filed appeals on this decision.
Neighbors report noise pollution, around-the-clock and disruptive industrial lighting, hazardous roads, well-water concerns, and rising utility costs. Many say they have not received clear communication from the company or from local and state officials.
On October 13, City Council defeated both a one-year data center moratorium as well as the Community Impact & Environmental Review Commission put forth by District 6 Councilwoman Rohli Booker. Councilwoman Rohli Booker, Councilman Geoff Paddock, and Councilman Russ Jehl all voted YES to both ordinances, but were outnumbered by the remaining members of City Council. Councilman Paul Ensley voted YES to the moratorium and NO to the commission while City Council President Martin Bender, Councilman Nathan Hartman, Councilman Dr. Scott Myers, and At-Large Councilwoman Michelle Chambers all voted NO on the moratorium and the commission. At-Large Councilman Friestroffer was absent from the vote. County Commissioner Ron Turpin has stated that he does not believe a moratorium or task force is necessary, and Mayor Sharon Tucker has not taken any measurable action to support residents and their concerns.
Residents are also asking what Google’s land acquisitions and future energy plans mean for farmland, energy security, and quality of life. Google has announced its intent to purchase additional properties while residents report threats made of eminent domain as well as rumors of a second large-scale data center project coming to New Haven from a separate tech giant. The City of New Haven, led by Mayor Steve McMichael, also recently submitted a Notice of Intent to become a Nuclear Ready Community. This paired with news of AEP’s LuLu-Sorenson Transmission Project and adjacent projects raise questions about the future livability of our communities.
MEDIA OPPORTUNITIES: Resident interviews (arranged on request), a press check-in table, and a designated media area. Please honor neighbors’ wishes if they prefer not to be filmed.
GROUND RULES: This is a peaceful, nonviolent event. Officials and company representatives are welcome to attend and listen. We ask those individuals to introduce themselves to an organizer. We will not identify you publicly unless you give consent.
Protect Allen County Coalition is a community coalition of neighbors working for transparency, clean air and water, affordable energy, and responsible development. For details, participants are asked to subscribe via email at ProtectAllenCounty.wordpress.com.
SUNDAY OCT 25: Community Gathering Scheduled in Southeast Fort Wayne to Address Concerns for Air, Water, Wetlands, and Quality of Life Near Google Data Center
Protect Allen County Coalition invites you to join a nonviolent community gathering for Allen County residents, especially neighbors in New Haven living near Google’s Project Zodiac campus. Residents will share their stories and discuss solutions on air quality, wetlands and wildlife, energy affordability and grid reliability, and overall quality of life.
WHEN: Sunday, October 25, 2026, 2:00–4:00 p.m.
WHERE: Parking & Shuttle at 6501 Wayne Trace, Fort Wayne, IN 46816
WHY NOW:
Google’s developer has asked IDEM for 228 more emergency diesel generators, after IDEM approved 140+ more in April despite a public hearing where more than three hundred residents appeared in-person to oppose the request. If approved, Google’s data center campus would have over 400 industrial diesel-fueled generators on site.
IDEM recently approved the destruction of 2.13 more acres of protected wetlands for Phase 3 of Google’s data center project. Evidence suggests unpermitted habitat destruction in recent months, violating the law and protections for endangered species. Three separate parties have filed appeals on this decision.
Neighbors report noise pollution, around-the-clock and disruptive industrial lighting, hazardous roads, well-water concerns, and rising utility costs. Many say they have not received clear communication from the company or from local and state officials.
On October 13, City Council defeated both a one-year data center moratorium as well as the Community Impact & Environmental Review Commission put forth by District 6 Councilwoman Rohli Booker. Councilwoman Rohli Booker, Councilman Geoff Paddock, and Councilman Russ Jehl all voted YES to both ordinances, but were outnumbered by the remaining members of City Council. Councilman Paul Ensley voted YES to the moratorium and NO to the commission while City Council President Martin Bender, Councilman Nathan Hartman, Councilman Dr. Scott Myers, and At-Large Councilwoman Michelle Chambers all voted NO on the moratorium and the commission. At-Large Councilman Friestroffer was absent from the vote. County Commissioner Ron Turpin has stated that he does not believe a moratorium or task force is necessary, and Mayor Sharon Tucker has not taken any measurable action to support residents and their concerns.
Residents are also asking what Google’s land acquisitions and future energy plans mean for farmland, energy security, and quality of life. Google has announced its intent to purchase additional properties while residents report threats made of eminent domain as well as rumors of a second large-scale data center project coming to New Haven from a separate tech giant. The City of New Haven, led by Mayor Steve McMichael, also recently submitted a Notice of Intent to become a Nuclear Ready Community. This paired with news of AEP’s LuLu-Sorenson Transmission Project and adjacent projects raise questions about the future livability of our communities.
WHO WILL BE PRESENT: New Haven and Allen County neighbors, Protect Allen County Coalition organizers.
MEDIA OPPORTUNITIES: Resident interviews (arranged on request), a press check-in table, and a designated media area. Please honor neighbors’ wishes if they prefer not to be filmed.
GROUND RULES: This is a peaceful, nonviolent event. Officials and company representatives are welcome to attend and listen. We ask those individuals to introduce themselves to an organizer. We will not identify you publicly unless you give consent.
Protect Allen County Coalition is a community coalition of neighbors working for transparency, clean air and water, affordable energy, and responsible development. For details, participants are asked to subscribe via email at ProtectAllenCounty.wordpress.com.
In order to provide the most impactful and safest event possible, we have rescheduled the nonviolent peaceful protest from Sunday, October 11th to Sunday, October 25th and have also adjusted the time to earlier in the day, 2:00pm-4:00pm. We appreciate your understanding as we work collaboratively with our neighbors, organizations, and volunteers.
Gather with your neighbors in a nonviolent peaceful protest. Join us as we demand that our local and state representatives fight to protect clean air and water, local lands and protected wetlands,financial and economic stability, children’s education, and our overall quality of life. Allen County is demanding that Google make changes to their Project Zodiac plan and do better by the people who live here.
What: Not at Our Expense: Residents Fight for Clean Air, Protection of Local Lands, and Economic Stability
When: 2:00 p.m. until 4:00 p.m. on Sunday, October 25th.
Protect Allen County Coalition invites area residents to take part in direct action in opposition to Google’s latest request for additional diesel generators for their data center campus, Google’s illegal destruction of protected wetlands, and the subsequent public health emergency and negative economic impact.
What: Not at Our Expense: Residents Fight for Clean Air, Protection of Local Land, and Economic Stability
When: 4:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. on Sunday, October 11th.
Tomorrow after the City Council session — 5:30pm at Citizens Square and in basement level room 035 — we will be meeting in the parking lot of Citizens Square to discuss next steps for how to address the concerns surrounding the Fort Wayne Google data center project.
This is unacceptable and we must all come together to make our voices heard — we will not go away quietly. Make no mistake, this project threatens our ability to live safely in our homes, and we are meeting to discuss these recent developments and what's next.
We just received word this afternoon (Wednesday, August 19th) that tomorrow, Thursday, August 20th, Google is hosting an Open House from 4:00-7:00pm in Fort Wayne at the Covenant Impact Center, located at 3420 E. Paulding Road, Fort Wayne, IN 46816.
All Fort Wayne, New Haven, unincorporated Allen County, and Allen County residents are encouraged to attend and ask questions, as well as raise their concerns about the data center project directly to the Google representatives. As news of this event was just recently received, we ask that you all share this information with your friends and family to have as many people in attendance as possible.
The invitation reads: "At Google, we are proud to be a part of the Fort Wayne community and would like to invite you to join us and other Fort Wayne groups for a Community Open House. This is a come-and-go event with no formal presentation; we simply want to connect with you, provide information and answer your questions. Light refreshments will be provided."
The Protect Allen County: Fort Wayne Data Center Action Coalition is dedicated to raising awareness and demanding accountability for the nearly 900-acre Google data center on Adams Center Road. Our most pressing advocacy is regarding the protection of our human health and fighting to keep our air clean of toxic carcinogens and harmful pollutants.
As of April 2026 and with the help of a professional consultant, a legal appeal has been filed on behalf of Allen County residents regarding the lack of effective air quality permitting. Donations make this advocacy possible.
As we have read reports pouring in from around the country, we have learned how hyperscale data centers are causing irreparable harm to the surrounding communities — reports of higher utility bills, rising medical costs, energy grid strain and failure, toxic air pollution and carcinogens from onsite diesel-fueled generators, massive energy and potable water consumption, destruction of wetlands and wildlife, reports of potentially contaminated drinking water, and more. Please consider donating and helping our citizen lead coalition fight for our human health and future generations.
We should all be able to breathe air that is not polluted by carcinogenic diesel exhaust and particulate matter. We should not have to live in constant fear of failed energy grids due to insufficient infrastructure. We should not have to pay higher utility bills to service the needs of any data center campus. We should not have to fear that our drinking water has potentially been contaminated with toxic chemicals and PFAs. We should be able to protect our wildlife and and rich biodiverse ecosystems from being destroyed. We should be able to live happy, healthy lives without these potential threats and harms.
All funds from this crowdfunding effort will be used to cover costs associated with any legal fees and consulting support, as well as materials for bringing awareness and building momentum (billboards, yard signage, newspaper ads, etc.). Please click here to donate or visit chuffed.org/project/protect-allen-county, any donation amount is greatly appreciated.
We are urgently seeking individuals who live in direct proximity to the Fort Wayne Google data center campus who 1. are living with a respiratory illness, cardiovascular disease, or asthma and/or 2. have someone living in the home with a respiratory illness, cardiovascular disease, or asthma and/or 3. have someone who regularly visits their home that has a respiratory illness, cardiovascular disease, or asthma.
We are asking these individuals to please write a letter of appeal to the Indiana Department of Environmental Management, describing how this decision will directly impact your health or the health of a loved one in your home. Please email your letter along with your first and last name, phone number, and home address to danielledoepke@proton.me — letters must be sent to Danielle Doepke by Monday, April 27th.
In order to file an appeal against IDEM's decision regarding the 179 diesel-fueled industrial generators and one million gallons of diesel fuel stored on Google's Fort Wayne data center campus, we need to have standing and letters from directly impacted community members. Your letter will act as the appeal and our group will file on your behalf — there is no financial risk or risk of filing an appeal.
Once again, letters must be sent to Danielle Doepke — danielledoepke@proton.me — by Monday, April 27th.
On Thursday, April 30th at 5:00pm IDEM will be holding a virtual Public Hearing regarding Google's Phase III data center expansion requests. The expansion of the existing Google data center campus involvings three additional buildings, associated utility infrastructure, internal drives, and stormwater facilities. This is Phase III of a multi-phase, multi-year project.
According to reporting from 21Alive News, “We’re talking more than 867,000 square feet total. If all three buildings were the same size, they would each be the size of a large IKEA store just like the one down in Fishers.”
To make room for the buildings, Google intends to destroy and permanently impact waterways like Adams and Doctor Ditch as well as long-standing, naturally occurring, biodiverse forested wetlands.
Attend the Virtual Public Hearing and Email the IDEM Waterways Office to Tell Them to Not Approve Google's Phase III Request WQC001454 — do not allow Google to continue to destroy and permanently impact our waterways and wetlands
Dial In by Phone: 1 (317) 552-1674 Phone Conference ID: 935 626 883#
Submit Written Comment: Email: WaterwaysComments@idem.IN.gov Subject: Public Comment Regarding #WQC001454; I wish to receive a copy of IDEM’s final decision
*** FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE *** OFFICIAL STATEMENT IN RESPONSE TO IDEM’S APPROVAL OF GOOGLE’S AIR PERMITS
On behalf of all who have been fighting against this decision for many months, we are disgusted and furious that IDEM has come to this conclusion — government institutions are meant to protect the people, not the interests of corporations.
The fate of innocent people and families, human beings who simply have the misfortune of building their lives next to what was once agricultural land, are at risk. The workers currently onsite during this multi-year construction project, as well as any future in-person employees will also be deeply affected by this decision. While our children, the elderly, the disabled; the immunocompromised; people with asthma, respiratory illness, cardiovascular disease, and COPD are most at risk for adverse health impacts, make no mistake – this is violence against all forms of life. Premature death is a proven consequence of exposure to diesel exhaust air pollution – this has been well documented by international and national scientific research institutions. Despite this, Google has made the conscious decision to ignore the human health impact and utilize diesel-fueled generators as an energy source.
Google continues to claim that their generators will be emergency use only and because of this, none of diesel-fueled generators on site – current or approved in this decision – require any pollution or emissions controls. Absolutely none. Google voluntarily agreed to not exceed a limit of 250 tons/year of NOx (nitrogen oxides) pollution, however, basic calculations show that the generators easily exceed those limits well within the 100 hours of time they have been allowed to operate by the EPA.
In the people’s appeals to IDEM, we demanded that Google be held to the highest standards and utilize the best available technologies. Research has shown that Tier 4F generators reduce harmful exhaust and soot emissions by 90% — this technology exists and would significantly reduce the potential harm. However, IDEM has chosen not to hold Google to the highest possible standards and so far Google, one of the top global megacorporations whose value currently sits at $3.8 trillion dollars, refuses to install the best available technology and retrofit their equipment with pollution controls. Instead, the diesel exhaust smoke and soot is free to permeate our air and coat our lungs. The people of Allen County should be outraged.
IDEM has failed to prevent Google from destroying and permanently altering our wetlands and waterways; now they are allowing Google to pollute our air. Our federal and state leaders and lawmakers have failed to install legislative protections against this kind of deceptive corporate exploitation. Mayor Sharon Tucker, Greater Fort Wayne Inc., the Fort Wayne Economic Development Commission, the Fort Wayne Redevelopment Commission, County Commissioners, City Council, and other local bodies and individuals have failed to protect the residents of Allen County through their refusal to demand better from Google.
Do not let them forget what they have done to us and what they have stolen from us. It is critical to continue using your power to vote and protest – we must put the right people in positions of power. Support candidates that champion people over profits, will demand legislative oversight, and will work to end the reign of corporations and special interest groups. We all deserve representatives who will fight for us, and we cannot stop fighting for a better future.
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