Spartz Seeks Independent Federal Review of Indiana Data Centers and LEAP

September 9, 2026 Press Release NOBLESVILLE, IN — Today, Rep. Victoria Spartz (IN-05) sent a letter to U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Chris Wright and U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary Doug Burgum requesting an independent federal review of the rapidly expanding LEAP Research and Innovation District and other major data-center projects across Indiana, raising concerns about energy generation, grid reliability, transmission costs, water resources, and who ultimately pays. “For two years, I have been raising concerns about the massive energy and infrastructure demands of data centers, as well as the significant water demands of the LEAP district ,” said Rep. Spartz . “Based on my numerous recent town halls, Hoosiers are increasingly concerned and deserve clear answers about who is paying for what . I support bringing advanced manufacturing and strategic industries to Indiana, but Hoosier families, farmers, small businesses, and existing industries should not be forced to subsidize extraordinary private projects.” In February, Meta announced a more than $10 billion LEAP campus with 10 planned data centers and approximately 1 GW of capacity . MISO planning documents estimate total LEAP demand at approximately 1,200 MW , with hundreds of millions of dollars in transmission infrastructure already identified. At the same time, federal reliability warnings are escalating. The U.S. Department of Energy reported that MISO was reclassified from “elevated risk” to “high risk” for 2028–2031 and is now using emergency authority to preserve existing generation. MISO has also identified new transmission violations and worsened reliability issues resulting from additional LEAP load , requiring major corrective projects across multiple Indiana utility systems and raising concerns about the risk of blackouts as electricity demand continues to grow. In June, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) preliminarily found that MISO lacks adequate protections against shifting large-load transmission costs to other customers , potentially resulting in “unjust and unreasonable rates.” FERC also raised concerns about inadequate transparency surrounding required transmission upgrades, their costs, and cost allocation. Spartz’s letter further raises concerns about significant loopholes in transparency and oversight created by Indiana laws during LEAP’s development , as well as plans to supply up to 25 million gallons of water per day to Lebanon and LEAP from the White River watershed. Spartz is requesting a full accounting of how much energy and water these projects will require, what new generation and infrastructure must be built, how much it will cost, who is responsible for those costs, and what enforceable protections exist to prevent Hoosier consumers and taxpayers from being left with the bill. “We cannot retire firm generation, add massive new loads, spend hundreds of millions on infrastructure, and then leave Hoosiers guessing who will pay for it,” Spartz said. “ We must ensure Hoosiers are not left paying higher utility bills while facing increased risks of blackouts. Hoosiers deserve substantiated answers before these commitments are made. ” The requested review would extend beyond LEAP to examine the cumulative effects of major data-center projects involving Google, Amazon, Meta, and other developers across Indiana . See the full letter here . ###