An anti-zoning mailer is making the rounds around White Cloud Township ahead of the November 3rd election. The mailer, paid for and written by former South Nodaway Superintendent Bruce Skoglund, says that his father and grandfather built their farm through years of toil and hardship, but that there was one constant -- every decision was made based on what was best for the future generations of their family.
The zoning measure has been proposed as a way of regulating any data centers that may locate there and stopping any future data center. It would supersede any zoning regulations that the county passes.
However, Mr. Skoglund, in the mailer, said that zoning does not stay pointed at one project, but would allow the government to control what one does with their own property. He said that it rarely stays where it starts, and that a better alternative would be for neighbors, the township, the county, and the developer to sit down and address concerns about roads, water, and noise and put commitments in writing without putting a permit office between every landowner and their own property.
There was one meeting that was organized between Scale Microgrids and the public back in June with information posted there regarding the proposed data center. However, no such meetings have been held since.
The problem, as Commissioner Scott Walk said at the Nodaway County Commission Meeting Tuesday, is that while Scale is developing the power generating portion of the project, the end user of the data center will be completely different, and that many answers will not be known until there is an end user. "Scale's specialty is in generating power," he said.
Meanwhile, Susie Strauch said that they were moving full steam ahead despite the county moratorium that the commission passed. She said they were doing more core sampling, including on the south side, and that there were people going on her property without permission and driving by her property and taking pictures of her house and that she has proof on security cameras and game cameras. Trespassing and Harassment are violations of Missouri Law.
There is a Facebook post circulating asking people in White Cloud Township to vote for the measure. While the post in question admits that a "Yes" vote would not have any effect on the proposed data center or generating facility, it says that a "Yes" vote would protect the area from future industrial ventures and kill the perception that it is an invitation for other data center developers to follow. "White Cloud Township is currently, for the most part, agricultural and residential. We would like to keep it that way," says the post.
The measure is being touted by supporters as a means of protecting the township from being taken over and destroyed by massive polluting entities and from the township being turned into a major industrial area.
If the measure passes, a committee of five people would be selected by the Township Board. They would determine how to designate zones. The board would seek to ensure that any proposed massive new project would not negatively affect others.
"Please keep our area classified as agricultural/residential," says the post in conclusion. "We're not wanting to be ruled by government, just asking neighbors to stand up and help preserve what we have."
Commissioners continued to answer questions about the data center project. Commissioner Chris Burns said that, "They will answer our questions, or the moratorium will be renewed." Commissioner Walk said that they are seeking a study on economic impact from the University of Missouri, and the DNR is already doing an environmental impact study that is scheduled to be done in November. Mr. Walk said that he did not know if anything in the DNR study would be specific to Nodaway County.
Commissioner Walk said that in some instances, the EPA and the DNR can directly monitor pollution and fine violations on the spot. For instance, he talked about one project where they shipped waste to a facility in Illinois, and that state's DNR and the EPA both had access to the facility's Internet and could monitor emissions in real time. "I can inquire with the Missouri DNR and see how they monitor emissions," he said. The DNR can fine violators up to $18,000 per day per violation, and the EPA can find violators up to $21,000 per day per violation. Mr. Walk said he knew of some universities that were fined over $1 million for emissions violations.
Commissioner Bill Walker said that nobody had asked them for an abatement, and if there was none, there was not much they could do. Commissioner Walk said that he had asked commissioners around the state about abatements, and that more and more, data centers were not asking for abatements. "We all pay taxes, why aren't they different," he asked. While most signs in Nodaway County are against the proposed data center, the few that support it tout it as a means of saving rural schools.
"There has got to be a reason why these projects are going up so fast," responded Donna Tompkins. She said that she had been in contact with the Department of Conservation regarding a study for the proposed facility, and that she was advised that they needed to get a request from either the county or the developer before they could do a study. She noted that there were two eagles' nests nearby, and Ms. Strauch said there were cranes' nests nearby.
The Missouri Department of Conservation, on its website, says that the Sandhill Crane, which can be found in Nodaway County, is a species of conservation concern. They stop occasionally to forage in crop fields and marshes. Since the 1990's, they have become more regular in the western half of the state. The MDC says there is no clear evidence of a successful nest with eggs or young in the state, although some attempts have been documented. There are breeding sites in nearby states, and the MDC predicts the state may soon have a small breeding population.
While the Bald Eagle is no longer an endangered species, it is still listed as a species of conservation concern by the MDC. They have been seen in Worth County. In the early 1960's, there were only 417 nesting pairs left. Now, there are approximately 70,000 pairs nested in the US, including at least 600 active nests in Missouri as of 2025.
Commissioner Burns said that he had approached three more people on zoning. One didn't want any part of it, but that he was waiting to hear back from two others.
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