Governor, experts from across Missouri push back on fears around data center boom
Missouri officials, led by Gov. Mike Kehoe, held a statewide forum to discuss data center development and AI, emphasizing adaptation over avoidance. Panelists addressed concerns regarding energy, water, and consumer protections while pushing back against misinformation, amidst recent major data center announcements and public protests. The forum highlighted key legislation, Senate Bill 4, designed to protect consumers from the increased costs of supporting energy-intensive data centers.
Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe convened a statewide forum at Missouri University of Science & Technology in Rolla to address the ongoing data center and artificial intelligence boom. State officials, utility regulators, and industry experts emphasized the need for Missouri to adapt to and lead in this growing sector rather than avoid it, while pushing back against what they termed "fear-mongering." The forum took place amidst rising public contention, including protests at the Missouri Capitol by anti-AI and data center advocates, and recent announcements of multi-billion dollar data center projects by Google and Amazon in New Florence, Montgomery County, as well as a proposed 800,000-square-foot facility in northern Callaway County sought by Crusoe Energy.
Panelists discussed key concerns such as energy affordability, water availability, and environmental protections. Rob Dixon of Ameren Missouri highlighted the significant increase in energy demand from modern data centers, some exceeding 1,000 megawatts, compared to average industrial projects. Emily Wilbur from the Missouri Department of Natural Resources' Division of Energy outlined the state's new energy plan, aiming to make Missouri an energy exporter again by September, which would help mitigate rising costs for ratepayers.
A key piece of legislation, Senate Bill 4, passed in 2025, was frequently referenced as a consumer protection measure. Missouri Sen. Mike Cierpiot explained that the bill requires large energy consumers, including data centers using 75 or more megawatts, to cover all associated energy and infrastructure costs. It also mandates long-term contracts to ensure stability. Regarding water usage, Robin Roberts of Central Power Systems and Services noted that 95% of data center cooling systems are closed-loop, minimizing continuous water requirements, and Google's New Florence project plans to use exclusively air cooling. Amazon's project would primarily use air cooling but could require up to 50 million gallons of water annually, a figure a Missouri S&T researcher described as not "that much overall" in the context of Rolla's annual water usage.
Kurt Schaefer, Director of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, indicated that data center developers are increasingly conscious of environmental impacts and are generally cooperative in sharing information, with his department retaining authority over air, water, and wildlife impacts. However, panelists did not address noise and light pollution, stating such decisions fall under local zoning. Jordan Meyer of the Missouri Department of Conservation stressed the importance of proactive local government engagement with conservation efforts.