Irene Alexander told the Nodaway County Commission at their regular meeting Tuesday that the data centers being proposed for the county were a threat to their way of life which would alter the climate, quality of life, and water supply. She talked about how a recent drought in Puerto Rico led to water rationing where people would have water for 48 hours and would not have it for 48 hours. “The National Guard was delivering water to people,” she said.
She said that the weather has already changed from when she was young, and that it was much hotter and dryer. In Colorado, Ms. Alexander noted, the Colorado River was down to 20% of its flow and the federal government was trying to negotiate compromises for all the affected water users. And yet, she said, data centers were proliferating in Arizona and California, downstream on the Colorado River. She said there were 120 operational in Arizona and 35-40 more planned, while in California, there were 300. In Missouri, there are now 54 operational or planned.
Rhonda Beatty said she had talked with a crop adjuster who was knowledgeable about weather patterns. She was told that these facilities create heat domes, and when they get high enough, they get into the jet stream and directly affect the weather patterns. “So one place gets massive hail all the time, and another place never gets any rain,” she said. She called for an independent environmental review and that they could reach out to the university. “We need to think about the future,” said Ms. Alexander.
We had our own experience with heat domes. On Monday night, when we were covering the Maryville City Council Meeting, the room was unusually hot and humid. When we got out, at just before 8:00 pm, the temperature was 95 degrees while the surrounding area was in the high 80’s. A few years ago, we made a trip to Eagleville during the summer and the temperature in the early afternoon shot up from the high 80’s to around 95. When we left, the temperature went back down to 89.
And on top of the proposed data centers, there was the ongoing road construction in the area. There is ongoing work turning the intersection at Route 71 and U into a J-turn, which the DOT says will reduce the risk of head-on collisions and road deaths. That step has drawn opposition from both proponents and critics of the proposed data center along with the commissioners, since it will make it harder for farmers on one side of Route 71 to access land on the other side of the road. Presiding Commissioner Bill Walker said that the commission had registered its opposition to the J-turn project. “They don’t listen to us,” said Mr. Walker.
On top of that, there are communication issues at the DOT, something Worth County commissioners have noted in their meetings this year. One visitor to Tuesday's Nodaway County Commission meeting, Susie Strauch, was advised by the DOT that Route U, from 71 to Arkoe, was closing for bridge work, which would have createad a hardship since the nearby Moffat Road bridge is going to be worked on by the township. Later that morning, she got a call from the DOT and was advised that they were actually planning to work on the Bolckow bridge instead.
Taking aim at the 100+ jobs being touted by Scale Microgrids on its White Cloud Acres website, Ms. Strauch cited the 1,997 jobs in farming in Nodaway County as touted by Missouri Farmers Care, which administers the Agri-Ready status for Nodaway and other counties. “They’re taking prime land,” she said.
Wanda Goodspeed expressed concerns about the environment, noise, and quality of life. She said her nephew built a forever home that turned out to be right next to where the proposed $6 billion data center would be located. She said she worked in a factory for over 35 years and had to wear earplugs. She said she already hears the noise from the construction of the Evergy plant that is being built next door to the data center. “We are all here because we wanted the safety that comes from living in a rural area,” said Ms. Goodspeed. She said that one of the highlights of living where she does is watching the calves, colts, sheep, and lambs and checking to see how much the corn has grown after a rain. “Peoples’ lives should be more important,” said Ms. Goodspeed. She said that she was not against all technology, and that she used it like everyone else, but that what they had was adequate.
Jeff From called on the Commission to act quickly to put together zoning and get answers to their questions during the six-month moratorium that they passed recently. “We feel like we’re disposable,” added Ms. Strauch. Commissioner Walker said they were going to talk about forming a zoning committee to include people from every township. Currently, commissioners have been absent, with Bill Walker absent due to illness last week and Scott Walk absent this week.
Donna Tompkins said that a recent main break on the Rural Water District’s lines show that they have issues with providing enough water to the area, let alone a data center with massive water needs. Currently, the Rural Water District has three different sources they can draw from, including the one in Gentry County that supplies Grant City and Parnell, and is looking for a fourth.
Scott Wilson asked about the community development agreement. Commissioner Chris Burns said that it was just in a rough draft stage right now and that they needed to talk further with their attorney. “I don’t want this to drag on for 2-3 months,” said Mr. Wilson. Commissioners pledged that the moratorium was for everyone, not themselves. “If we don’t get the answers we’re looking for, we’ll extend it,” said Commissioner Walker. Jeff From said that it looked like the data center didn’t have a plan either. “That’s not acceptable,” said Mr. Wilson. Ms. Strauch said they probably planned to start doing the electrical phase first. Scale Microgrids recently filed a DNR permit application for White Cloud Generating, which would build 12 natural gas turbines, which would sell electricity to the grid for White Cloud Acres, the data center portion of the project, to buy back. The tentative construction start date was listed as February 2027. According to the August 6th minutes, Commissioners stated that the recently-passed moratorium applies to the power generator portion of the project.
While participants at the meeting pushed commissioners to move quicker on forming a zoning committee and getting answers, Commissioner Walker said that the commission had until the last week of the moratorium to extend it.
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