Protestors speak out against data centers Wednesday as local leaders participate in planning conference
In Topeka, Kansas, protestors gathered outside the Kansas Capitol to voice opposition against data centers during a "Data Center Planning Summit" hosted by Kansas Municipal Utilities (KMU). While KMU aimed to educate local officials on data center impacts without taking a stance, protestors viewed the summit as a biased promotion of data center development, citing concerns over land and water usage by international companies.
On Wednesday, July 14, protestors converged outside the Kansas Docking Building in downtown Topeka, Kansas, to demonstrate against data center development. Their actions coincided with a "Data Center Planning Summit" taking place inside, organized by Kansas Municipal Utilities (KMU) at the Kansas Capitol. The summit's stated purpose, according to KMU Deputy Director Greg DuMars, was to educate local county commissioners, lawmakers, and city officials about the community impacts of data centers, emphasizing a neutral stance.
However, protestors, led by Meghan Ryan, founder of Protect Kansas, characterized the closed-door summit as a "timeshare pitch" designed to encourage local leaders to support data center projects. Manessah Davidson, a Kansas mother and protestor, suggested that participants inside the meeting stood to benefit from or were already in favor of data centers. Concerns were raised about "international companies" acquiring Kansas land and water, with protestors asserting that "the people out number these billionaires."
Zach Pistora of the Kansas Sierra Club, who managed to attend the meeting, noted that while it was informational, he detected a "slight bias towards building out data centers," recalling statements like "data centers are a homerun for Kansas," which he felt undermined community concerns. Throughout the day, protestors held signs and vocalized their opposition as officials entered and exited the building.