Farmington residents submit 1,000-signature petition seeking data center moratorium

Farmington, Missouri, residents presented a petition with over 1,000 signatures to the City Council, advocating for a municipal moratorium on data center construction within both city limits and St. Francis County. The petition was submitted during an open session where citizens expressed anxiety about potential data center projects, citing risks such as extreme electrical grid strain, heavy water consumption, noise pollution, and negative impacts on property values.

City Administrator Greg Beavers clarified that no data center projects are currently proposed or under development within Farmington. However, he acknowledged preliminary inquiries from small-scale developers and addressed rumors about 700 acres of land near Conway Road, stating the property was optioned by Industrial Development Authorities for a general industrial park, not specifically for data centers. Beavers highlighted that existing municipal infrastructure cannot support even modest computational facilities without significant upgrades, noting that 10-15 megawatts, roughly a quarter to a third of the city’s peak capacity, would be required. To mitigate this, the city’s joint power agency recently adopted a policy requiring an independent power supply for any heavy-load data centers.

Due to a lack of a quorum, the City Council was unable to conduct official business or vote on the petition. Council members indicated that the proposals and concerns raised by residents would be reviewed in upcoming committee meetings.