Ames City Council hosts listening session on proposed data center
The Ames City Council held a listening session where a large number of residents expressed overwhelming opposition to a proposed data center in Ames, primarily citing environmental concerns and distrust in the city's decision-making. Most residents in a poll were unsupportive, leading to cheers from the crowd. The city council acknowledged the public outcry, with a decision on the proposal pending for a future meeting.
The Ames City Council hosted a public listening session on June 30 regarding a proposed data center in Ames, Iowa, drawing an unexpectedly large and vocal crowd. Residents were divided into breakout groups, with most expressing significant opposition to the project.
A poll conducted at the start of the session revealed that 81% of attendees were unsupportive of a data center, a result met with cheers. Key concerns raised by residents included the potential environmental impacts, the long-term effects on the community, and the need for independent third-party environmental assessments before any decisions are made, particularly regarding the Lightedge proposal. Residents also questioned the disposal of water and coolant from the data center's closed-loop system and expressed a general distrust in the city council to prioritize public sentiment over potential financial incentives.
City Council Ward 3 Representative Gloria Betcher acknowledged the community's outcry, noting concerns about whether residents could trust the council if they approved a data center that might contradict existing plans like the 2040 plan and climate action plan. Mayor John Haila clarified that the proposed facility would be a data storage center, not for AI, and committed to transparency.
The session ended abruptly amidst chanting of "no data centers." Pamphlets opposing data center construction in Ames were distributed, with Ward 2 Representative Tim Gartin reportedly refusing one and demanding facts. The data center proposal's inclusion on the agenda for the next city council meeting on July 14 was undecided at the time of the report.