Kansas communities can learn from ‘painful lessons’ of data center developments in other states

Kansas communities are being urged by national experts to establish robust policies before approving data center developments, drawing lessons from the "painful experiences" of areas like Loudoun County, Virginia. Mike Turner, a Loudoun County official, highlighted six key factors—sound, power, water, emissions, setback, and appearance—that governments must address, noting that Loudoun's current ordinances, developed over two years, are evolving to meet higher standards, such as requiring Tier IV backup generators. He advises on practices like mandatory closed-loop water cooling systems and carefully managed wastewater discharge, as Loudoun's 253 data centers use about 10% of the county's potable water.

The need for such preparation is underscored by the Bipartisan Policy Center, whose team led by Kathryn Kline Tyndall held nationwide discussions, including in Kansas City, Missouri. These discussions emphasized that communities often feel overwhelmed by experienced data center developers and need technical assistance, possibly from state task forces, to negotiate effectively. Water scarcity, especially due to drought conditions and declining aquifers, is a major concern in Kansas, along with the significant electricity demands.

Utility regulators in Kansas, specifically the Kansas Corporation Commission, have already enacted a "large load tariff" for major power users like data centers to mitigate infrastructure costs on residents and small businesses. This action, while praised by some, has raised concerns from groups like the Sierra Club about increased reliance on natural gas and delayed coal plant retirements. The article also cites PJM Interconnection and Southwest Power Pool projections indicating massive increases in regional energy usage, necessitating extensive new transmission lines and substations.

In response to these challenges, the city of Topeka recently passed a one-year moratorium on data center development to allow time for further research and policy development. Experts like Mike Morse of Kansas Commercial Real Estate Services Inc., who is involved with a proposed Compass Datacenters facility near Topeka, confirm that developers are preparing to meet local noise and other environmental standards. The broader message from analysts like Emma Uridge of the Kansas Health Institute is the critical need for more transparent data on data centers' environmental footprint and the importance of preserving local authority in regulating these developments.