Leavenworth County to host special meeting for neighbor input on 1,000-acre data center proposal
Leavenworth County is hosting a special meeting to gather public input on a 1,000-acre data center proposal, Project Bluestem, which includes plans for an additional gas power plant and significantly increased electricity usage. Residents are organizing in opposition, citing concerns about health, environmental impact, and proximity to schools. A temporary data center moratorium in the county expired in August, and new regulations are being considered.
Leavenworth County is holding a special meeting for community input regarding Project Bluestem, a proposed 1,000-acre data center near Tonganoxie, Kansas. The proposal, from real estate developer Cloverleaf Infrastructure, has recently doubled its planned electricity usage to 1.2 gigawatts and now includes an additional gas power plant, sparking significant local opposition.
Residents, including Rebecca Davis and Dee Karleskint, are actively organizing through groups like the Tongie Data Center Watch Dog Group to demand transparency and call on Leavenworth County commissioners to reject the proposal. Concerns center on the project's environmental and health impacts, its proximity to local schools and a nursing home, and the developer's perceived lack of transparency.
A temporary 18-month data center moratorium, adopted by the county commissioners after a resident petition, expired in August. Residents express frustration that this pause was insufficient to establish adequate regulations for data center developments. Commissioner Mike Stieben indicated that new regulations for data center proposals are being considered, which Project Bluestem would fall under, emphasizing the need for a judicious process. Cloverleaf Infrastructure maintains that Project Bluestem would offer significant economic benefits, create jobs, and generate tax revenue while including 330 acres for permanent land conservation.