Petition calls for pause on Pottawatomie County data center
Residents in Pottawatomie County, Kansas, have launched a petition for a three-year moratorium on a proposed data center project, citing concerns over transparency and potential impacts. The petition, led by John Watt, has garnered over 500 signatures and will be presented to the county's Planning Commission. The project developer, Beltline Energy, held a meeting where media and public questioning were reportedly restricted.
Pottawatomie County residents are actively opposing a proposed high-impact data center, with a petition calling for a three-year moratorium having gathered more than 500 signatures. Organizer John Watt states the goal is not to stop the project entirely, but to ensure greater transparency and allow officials and residents to fully understand its potential health, safety, and infrastructure impacts.
Watt initiated the petition after an initial meeting with the developer, Beltline Energy, in Wamego, where he claims media was excluded and his microphone was cut off when asking questions. He plans to present the petition to the Pottawatomie County Planning Commission, which is expected to hold public comment sessions in the coming weeks. Watt emphasizes that this is a non-partisan issue, characterizing it as a "billionaire class versus small farmer and small town fight," and believes a moratorium would allow the county to learn from other communities' experiences with similar projects.