Missouri to Hold Public Hearing About Data Centers in September

By Ella Aguilar

As of right now, 14 states are considering banning data center development, and over 300
towns and counties in the United States have some sort of ban or restriction on data center
development.
On June 24th, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14) introduced the Artificial
Intelligence (AI) Data Center Moratorium Act in Washington, D.C., a legislation that would
create a temporary prohibition on the construction of new data centers and the expansion
of existing data centers until Congress passes comprehensive legislation to address the
economic, environmental, and safety impacts of artificial intelligence. This legislation is
cosponsored by Representatives André Carson (IN-07), Steven Cohen (TN-09), Jesús
“Chuy” García (IL-04), Dan Goldman (NY-10), Adelita Grijalva (AZ-07), Jim McGovern (MA-02), Terri Sewell (AL-07), Rashida Tlaib (MI-12), and Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12).
And they are not the only ones saying the same thing.
House Energy and Commerce ranking member Frank Pallone of New Jersey also called on
Wednesday for Congress to impose a nationwide data center moratorium. Talks about
putting a halt to data center developments have been in the talks for months, but now it is
being convened more directly with Congress.
Of the fourteen states that have launched legislation related to data centers, only two have
been passed or continued. New York successfully passed legislation putting a one-year
moratorium on data centers, and Virginia has continued legislation that prohibits final
approval of new data centers until all interconnection requests are fulfilled, or until July
2028.
Five states have legislation introduced: Michigan, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Georgia,
and Vermont.
Seven states have vetoed or failed legislation. Maine was the only Veto.
In Missouri, the people will have the opportunity in September to speak to their lawmakers
about their opinions on data centers. State Representative Tricia Byrnes (R-Wentzville) has
stated that House Speaker Jon Patterson has granted the request for the public hearing and
the House Special Committee on Intergovernmental Affairs, which Byrnes chairs, will
conduct it. In addition to the public hearing to happen in Jefferson City in September, she
also stated that she has been working on an outline for legislation to be introduced on data centers, which includes a list of requirements related to transparency. This announcement
also came on the same day that Representative Don Mayhew, R-Crocker, said he was trying
to urge Governor Mike Kehoe to call for a special session on data centers.
In Montgomery County, Missouri, a countywide survey was conducted about data center
developments. Montgomery County has been a prime location for Governor Kehoe, who has helped both Amazon and Google begin to put data centers in the county. The survey showed that with a 27% response rate of 1,461 surveys returned, 1,239 of the returned surveys expressed opposition to data centers (85% response), 154 surveys expressed support, and 68 were undecided.
In Jackson County, the people of Festus discovered that their City Council representatives
were trying to put a data center in their town, even after public outcry stating they did not
want the data center. The people voted out each council member who supported the data
center and have since been working to keep data centers out of their town and county. They
have also created a group on Facebook, helping others in similar situations and providing
information about everything they uncover.
Currently, here in Marion County, Commissioners have been introduced to an offer to
construct a data center, but it was declined. In April of this year, Palmyra Mayor Rusty
Adrain stated during a city council meeting that he was in conversations about bringing a
“small” data center to Palmyra and even setting up leadership training for supervisors in
2027. He has also begun discussing business license requirements with other municipalities.
Citizens of Marion County and Missouri should attend this public hearing in September if
they have concerns and questions about the impacts of data centers in Missouri. Citizens
are always reminded that communicating with their public representatives in the City
Council and County Commissioners about their concerns for their community helps their
public officials know where their people stand.