How data centers in Missouri converted neighbors into activists, from cities to farms
Community members across Missouri, particularly in Franklin County, are actively opposing proposed data center developments. This opposition has led to protests, petitions, and even recall efforts against local officials. The city of Pacific has enacted a 12-month moratorium on data center projects.
Residents in Missouri, spanning from cities to rural farms, have organized into an activist movement against proposed data center developments. The article highlights widespread opposition in Franklin County, where over 850 people attended a Planning and Zoning Commission meeting to speak against two proposed data centers.
Specific instances of activism include recall petitions for the mayor and three City Council members in Festus. In Pacific, Missouri, the city council responded to community discussions and protests by enacting a 12-month moratorium on data center projects. Jeannine Crider of Washington, Mo., and Eric Reichert and Jessica Nicodemo of Pacific were noted for discussing data center proposals during a celebration of the moratorium.
Beltline Energy, an Atlanta-based developer, is seeking approval for a 500-acre data center at Crooked Creek Farm in Pacific, a project that abuts properties like Keith Ketcherside's 10-acre land. Joyce Huston, an entertainer known as Lady J, has become the "music of the [no data center] movement" through her group, Ferguson Advocates for Civic Transparency, demonstrating the broad reach of the opposition.