Data Center Development Raises Questions at Monroe County Educational Meeting

Missouri Rural Crisis Center presentation in Paris addresses potential impacts on water resources, farmland, electricity costs, public health, and local tax revenues. 
Liz Vahlkamp, the Monroe County Democrat Chairperson, thought it would be beneficial to bring Data Center information to Monroe County and those counties surrounding it, presented by the Missouri Rural Crisis Center of Columbia, Missouri. The public meeting was held in the Paris Ag Building on October 11. This meeting was non-partisan. Olivia Stockman, Director of Organizing and Campaigns, Missouri Rural Crisis Center, and Megan Waddle, Rural Organizer, Missouri Rural Crisis Center, were the presenters. 
People who live, farm, and work at the front lines of this rapid, massive industrial encroachment have the most at stake, and they have the right to know what the impact will be for their communities, natural resources, farmland, and economic livelihoods. 
A data center is a large building filled with computers that store and process digital information. 
● They run around the clock. 
● Their main inputs are electricity and cooling to keep the computers 
from overheating. 
Size is described in megawatts (MW) of electricity drawn. 
● Traditional data centers run about 10 - 25 MW. 
● The new AI-era campuses run 100 - 500+ MW 
A single building within one of these facilities can span up to 800,000 square feet, and their host sites can stretch across thousands of acres. For example, the entire land area of the Montgomery City Data Center is 3,000 square miles, which is nearly 2,000 acres of good, arable land. 
During the presentation, representatives of the Missouri Rural Crisis Center raised concerns about the potential effects of data center development on water resources, electricity rates, property values, farmland, wildlife and public health. The organization also discussed Missouri's tax incentive programs and encouraged residents to research proposed developments, attend public meetings and ask local officials questions. 
Missouri Rural Crisis Center was founded during the farm crisis in 1985. They are a statewide farm and advocacy membership organization that seeks to: 
-preserve family farms 
-promote stewardship of the land and environmental integrity 
-strive for economical and social justice by building unity and mutual understanding among diverse groups, both rural and urban 
Considerations around Data Centers: 
-Water Quantity - impacts to wells and aquifers 
-Water Quality - threat of pollution 
-Taxes - companies not paying their fair share 
-Utility rates 
-The lack of zoning / setbacks from things like hospitals, schools 
-Spoiling or repurposing good farmland 
-Noise pollution 
-Impacts to wildlife 
-Health impacts 
-NDAs - lack of transparency 
Water Needs 
Approximate annual water usage, in gallons* 
 oo Data Center (15 megawatt): 130M 
 oo Hospital (3 buildings): 130M 
 oo Almond Orchard (100 acres): 115M 
 oo Golf Courses (2 18-hole courses): 100M 
 Waste remediation 
 1. There's no requirement in our state, no permitting systems in our state to deal with the water usage of data centers and water use and wastewater discharge. 
 2. There's no comprehensive assessment required. 
 3. There's no clear regulatory authority -- we are not set up to deal with the harmful impacts. 
A cooling mechanism is needed to keep the computer internal chips functioning properly. Up to 40% of the energy consumed by a data center is dedicated solely to managing heat waste. The cooling systems are thirsty and consume up to 5 million gallons of water per day which is equivalent to e needs of 50,000 people. The water tables could be dropped, causing wells to run dry sooner along with additional costs when their pumps struggle, pipes clog, or filters fail. Most of the water used by data centers evaporates which causes an entire new issue with forever chemicals, nitrates, heavy metals, and where cancer-causers. As well as dumping into the rivers and streams. 
Air Vs Open Loop Vs Closed Loop (Water) Cooling Systems 
Considerations: 
:: Thermodynamics: Air cannot absorb and transport heat 
as efficiently as liquids 
:: Expense: Closed loop systems are more expensive. 
:: Water: Closed loop systems use less water than open loop. 
There's no requirement in our state for Waste Remediation, no permitting systems in our state to deal with the water usage of data centers, and water use and wastewater discharge. 
2. There's no comprehensive assessment required 
3. There's no clear regulatory authority - we are not set up to 
deal with the harmful impacts. 
A single large data center needs more than 100 megawatts of electricity which is equivalent to 16,400 homes. This can cause more frequent power outages, even paying higher utility costs each month. This can cause air pollution. Utility companies are rushing to build natural gas power plants to help with the data centers power demands. This still may no be enough which will cause gas-guzzling generators to power them so they can guarantee their customers 100% up-time while destabilizing the power grid. 
With all these concerns that arrest for those that are potentially being affected, the loudness from these can disturb the natural rhythms of nearby residents and wildlife. 
There is no obligation nor promise that data centers will offer local job opportunities as data centers usually have a construction team that travels the US to build these and after built, they can operate continuously with hardly any humans on-premise. 
These data centers to be redundant or obsolete in three to five years. Yet the devastation to farmland and natural resources will last for generations. 
Questions to ask local officials:  
 What their water testing program will be, to detect pollutants. 
 Will that data be publicly available?  
 How will they ensure the operator is held responsible? 
 Will e-waste be recycled? 
 Is there a decommissioning plan? 
Noise Impacts to Humans 
Noise from sources like data centers causes: 
 oo Decrease cognitive functioning, especially in children 
 oo Concentration disruption 
 oo Sleep disturbance 
 o Increased cortisol 
 o Increased cardiovascular risk 
 o Irritation 
 oo In a hospital setting, they (data centers) can delay healing and recovery. 
Noise from sources like data centers causes: 
 Decrease cognitive functioning, especially in children 
 Concentration disruption  
 Sleep disturbance 
 Increased cortisol 
 Increased cardiovascular risk 
 Irritation 
 In a hospital setting, they (data centers) can delay healing and recovery. 
Noise from sources like data centers causes: 
➔ decrease cognitive functioning, especially in children 
➔ concentration disruption 
➔ sleep disturbance 
:: increased cortisol 
:: increased cardiovascular risk 
:: Irritation 
:: In a hospital setting, they (data centers) can delay 
healing and recovery 
Infrasound and Wildlife 
 - Infrasound is sound that has a frequency too low for humans to hear. Humans can typically hear sounds between 20 Hz and 20,000 Hz; infrasound refers to sounds below 20 Hz. 
 - Many animals use infrasound for communication and navigation. 
 - Infrasound can mask or interfere with these signals, reducing communication range and effectiveness. 
Data Center Development Pathway 
State Government 
Development Site 
Economic Development 
Local Government 
Agreements 
Construction 
Local Example - Randolph County 
Step 1: Moberly Area Economic Development Corporation (MAEDC) 
 oo Monthly Project Reports (May/June 2025) 
 o "Project Higbee": Initiated discussion with Howard Electric regarding data center project near Higbee. 
 oo Monthly Project Reports (Nov/Dec 2025) 
 o "Project Tiger Zou" is a multi-phase development pursuing over 1,000 acres, representing a multi-billion-dollar investment with 400 - 500 construction jobs per campus and 30 - 40 permanent jobs. 
Step 2: Landowners Approached 
 oo November 2025 
Step 3: Randolph County Commission 
 oo Monthly meeting minutes (Feb. 2026) 
 o The visible text references Kaylee Partridge, Moberly Economic Development Director, the county attorney, and other individuals joining a session via Zoom. 
 o The text also references entering closed session under RSMo. 610.021 and mentions "Tiger." 
State Tax Incentives 
Missouri's Data Center Sales Tax Exemption Program 
Established in 2015 through SB 149 (RSMo §144.810). 
Exempts 100% of state and local sales and use taxes on items purchased and used by data center developers/operators. 
Applies to: 
 1. All utilities, telecommunications and internet services; machinery, equipment, and computers used in the data storage facility. 
 2. All tangible personal property and materials used to construct the facility. 
Exemption Period: 
 oo New facilities: Up to 15 years. 
 oo Expanding facilities: Up to 10 years. 
Local Tax Incentives  
 1. Chapter 100/PILOT Agreements (Payments in Lieu of Taxes)  
 Municipalities or counties hold title to a project and lease it back to a company and negotiate tax abatements where the company makes PILOTs instead of paying full property taxes. 
 2. Decommissioning 
 Is decommissioning considered when local decision makers negotiate agreements with data center developers? Who will clean up the site and remove it all? What will happen to the clean-up and after affects once the concrete is removed? 
The Cost of Incentives 
State Government Costs 
1. Loss of state sales tax revenue. 
 oo Goes to school districts and funds services that benefit local communities. 
County and Local Government Costs 
 1. Loss of local sales and use tax revenue. 
 2. Loss of local property tax revenue. 
 o Property taxes fund schools, older adult services, ambulance services, fire protection, libraries, and other community services. 
 o Property taxes: 36% of local government general revenue (2023). 
Distribution of Benefits and Harms 
Who stands to lose: 
 1. People who live and farm nearby. 
 2. Homeowners (property value loss). 
 3. People whose jobs or wages are displaced by A.I. 
 4. Farmland availability. 
 5. The taxpayers when it comes to waste remediation and unintended consequences. 
What is a Moratorium? 
Legal document 
● Places a temporary pause on the approval, permitting, and construction of new data centers 
 ○ Timelines - 6, 12, 18 months 
What does the Pause do? 
● Gives decision makers time to study concerns, update rules/laws, 
enact ordinances/protections related to industrial construction 
 ○ Conduct the stated environmental, health, safety concerns 
 ○ Address economic concerns 
Recommendations 
 1. Keep logs. Do regular testing of your well water levels and quality. 
 2. Create a network of locals in your area that you can share information with. 
 3. Attend County Commission and Planning and Zoning meetings. 
 4. Meet with your County Water District. 
 5. Read the notices in the newspaper. 
 6. Ask questions: of landmen, of company officials, of everybody. Ask for the sources of their information. 
 7. Get the phone number of the company officials you meet (good luck). 
 8. Get involved. You don't have to do it alone. 
 9. Join Missouri Rural Crisis Center. Go to: mrccrural.org 
 10. Show up (or make calls and send emails) during the Missouri State Legislative Session. 
 Around 50 community members attended. Monroe County Appeal live fed the 2-hour meeting and can be viewed up to 30 days on their Facebook page. 
Sources and References are available upon request