Missouri House to hold committee hearing on possible data center rules in September
The Missouri House plans to hold a public hearing on data center rules in September, spearheaded by State Rep. Tricia Byrnes, to prepare for future legislation on transparency, noise, and water requirements. This announcement follows a survey by the Missouri Rural Crisis Center revealing widespread opposition to data centers, including an Amazon project, in Montgomery County.
The Missouri House of Representatives will hold a public hearing on September 16 in Jefferson City to discuss potential state-level rules for data centers. State Rep. Tricia Byrnes (R-Wentzville), who chairs the House Special Committee on Intergovernmental Affairs, announced the hearing, stating its purpose is to gather information to prepare legislation for the next session.
Byrnes is developing an outline for legislation that would introduce requirements for transparency, public comment periods, noise operational standards, notifications, water permit requirements, and overall oversight. While she did not advocate for a statewide moratorium, she suggested communities without planning and zoning should consider a pause on data center development until more information is available. Rep. Don Mayhew (R-Crocker) has also urged Governor Mike Kehoe to call a special session on data centers, though Byrnes indicated this is unlikely.
The hearing announcement came hours after the Missouri Rural Crisis Center released results from a countywide survey in Montgomery County, which showed 85% opposition (1,239 out of 1,461 respondents) to data center development. This opposition follows the recent announcement of Amazon building a multibillion-dollar data center in Montgomery County. Olivia Stockman of the Crisis Center recommended that Montgomery County officials reconsider their support and potentially allow a public vote on the matter.