Opponents of data centers host rally at Missouri Capitol

JEFFERSON CITY — More than 100 people filled the Missouri State Capitol rotunda Wednesday afternoon for a rally calling for a state moratorium on data centers.

It was led by members of the No MO Dirty Data Centers coalition. The coalition is made up of Missouri residents along with the Missouri Rural Crisis Center, a farm and rural area advocacy group based in Columbia, and the Missouri Workers Center, a St. Louis-based workers advocacy group.

Individuals were able to provide testimonials followed by a march to the Governor’s Mansion.

While reasonings varied, all speakers were in favor of a statewide moratorium on the construction of data centers.

Gabe Cotton, a resident of Festus, a small town south of St. Louis, voiced his worries about his town’s soon-to-be 300-acre data center.

“The noise will be excessive and will overwhelm the peacefulness in our town,” Cotton said. “The impact on our utilities will turn what was a relatively affordable place to live into an expensive one.”

Cotton relayed his experience watching several Festus City Council meetings where officials ignored resident concerns, moving forward with plans for a data center.

In April, Festus voted out four council members who had supported data center projects.

“Now, I’ve been a proud union construction worker for 24 years. I am not against development. My livelihood depends on it; my paycheck depends on it,” Cotton said.

“I am against irresponsible and destructive development,” Cotton added. “I have never in my career seen projects as harmful as these data centers are in the communities they’re being forced into.”

New Florence farmer Bob Ridgely said the Montgomery County data center is threatening his fifth-generation farmland, a place first purchased by his grandfather where he hoped to see his own grandchildren grow up.

“Our way of life and the future for my children and grandchildren is being threatened by those who claim to have our best interests at heart,” Ridgely said.

Wren Haffner, a farmer from Ozark County, brought up water preservation concerns amid ongoing shortages, as data centers require large amounts of water resources for cooling.

“Nationwide, we are already facing ravaging droughts and fires making farming difficult for many,” Haffner said.

Haffner called for a moratorium until the state can ensure water resources will be protected for future generations.

Although not present at the rally, state Rep. Colin Wellenkamp, R-St. Charles, expressed his support in a news release. Both St. Charles city and county were among the first in the state to put a local moratorium on data centers earlier this year.

“Protections are especially needed to secure water and power resources, while also requiring transparency and prohibiting increased utility costs from being passed to Missourians that only benefits private AI companies,” Wellenkamp said.

Following the rally, protesters moved down the street to the Governor’s Mansion, starting from the Capitol steps.

Demonstrators held a ribbon made to represent a stream along with several handcrafted fish, meant to bring to mind the wildlife that could be put at risk should these projects continue.

As the march moved down the street, police followed behind, asking demonstrators to get out of the road and onto the sidewalks, claiming they lacked proper permits.

Eventually, the police made their way to the front of the crowd, and at the intersection of Madison Street and East Capitol Avenue, one man was arrested. The man, only identified as Russ, works with the Missouri Workers Center.

“You can delay democracy, but you can’t stop it,” Cotton said, “and we aren’t going anywhere until we the people win.”