Posted inInvestigations

Edwardsville Officials Assured Residents on Facebook The City Had ‘No Formal Proposal’ For a Data Center — But City Emails Tell a Fuller Story

The massive facilities are a hot topic in the Metro East, as a developer, Cloverleaf, eyes three towns as possible sites. Dozens of emails obtained by Illinois Answers Project show detailed discussions between Cloverleaf and Edwardsville officials, who stress there’s nothing official.

by Janelle O'Dea February 21, 2026February 20, 2026

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Edwardsville Officials Assured Residents on Facebook The City Had ‘No Formal Proposal’ For a Data Center — But City Emails Tell a Fuller Story

by Janelle O'Dea, Illinois Answers Project
February 21, 2026

<h1>Edwardsville Officials Assured Residents on Facebook The City Had ‘No Formal Proposal’ For a Data Center — But City Emails Tell a Fuller Story</h1>
<p class="byline">by Janelle O'Dea, Illinois Answers Project <br />February 21, 2026</p>
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This vacant site, which is mainly south of New Poag Road between U.S. 255 and Illinois Route 111, is being eyed as a potential location for a massive new data center in Edwardsville. (Credit: Don Munsch/The Edwardsville Intelligencer)

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Tagged: Data centers

Janelle O'DeaState Investigative Reporter

jodea@bettergov.org

Janelle O’Dea is based in St. Louis as an investigative reporter with the Illinois Answers Project State Investigations Team. Her beat covers Southern Illinois and the Metro East. Before joining the Illinois Answers Project, she worked in Colorado, Florida, at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and at the Center for Public Integrity. She is a graduate of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and grew up in central Illinois.

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