Residents request a moratorium at Pott County public hearing on data centers
A public hearing in Pottawatomie County, Kansas, saw residents request a moratorium on data center development and voice concerns over draft regulations. Speakers highlighted environmental and health impacts, transparency issues with developer Beltline Energy, and urged the Planning Commission to strengthen rules. The commission is developing draft regulations, but state entities control power and water rights.
A recent public hearing in Pottawatomie County, Kansas, on proposed data center regulations drew approximately 125-150 attendees, with 33 speakers predominantly advocating for a moratorium on new data center developments. Many residents expressed concerns that the county
Judd McCormack, chairman of the Pottawatomie County Planning Commission, clarified the commission's role as a recommendation board, not a final approval authority, and noted limitations on regulating power, water usage, and water discharge, which fall under the purview of state entities like the Kansas Corporation Commission, Kansas Resource Office, and KDHE. Despite these limitations, speakers urged the commission to strengthen areas it could control.
Key issues raised by residents included noise pollution, particularly low-frequency hums from cooling equipment that could disrupt sleep and health, and heat generation, with one speaker comparing a proposed 1.2-gigawatt data center’s heat output to that of the entire Kansas City Metro area. Health concerns extended to potential links between data centers and reproductive loss, citing studies from Virginia, Texas, and Oregon. Transparency was also a major point of contention, with residents questioning communications between the Pottawatomie County Commission and developer Beltline Energy, alleging violations of the Kansas Open Meetings Act. Shannon Goodman, executive director of the Pottawatomie County Economic Development Corporation, outlined potential economic benefits, such as significant property tax revenue, but also recommended tabling the current draft for further technical review.