What can Missouri’s state politicians do to address concerns on KC data centers?
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Missouri lawmakers did not advance proposals to limit data center construction this year.
- Local protests arose in Independence, Kansas City and the Northland over new data centers.
- Lawmakers discussed options like scaling back tax incentives and permitting processes.
As data centers upend local politics for several communities in the Kansas City metro, the state of Missouri has done little to regulate their construction.
Residents in Independence, Kansas City and the Northland have protested new data centers being built in their communities. But no proposal to put boundaries on data centers reached either the House or Senate floor.
“I noticed this last session it just didn’t seem like there was much appetite in the legislature to do much at all,” said Sen. Joe Nicola, a Grain Valley Republican. “Everything is so new and developing so rapidly. Many legislators are hesitant to do anything because they don’t want to mess things up.”
Nicola represents Independence, where data centers have become a focal point of local politics. Two incumbents who approved the city’s deal with a data center — which included $6 billion in tax breaks and bonds — were candidates who were ousted by voters in April elections.
The Kansas City Council passed legislation last year requiring special use permits and city council approval for new data centers. The Jackson County Legislature is also wrestling with the issue and is considering a 180-day moratorium on new data center construction.
At the state level, Nicola said there are a number of ways the state could alleviate the pressure placed on local governments.
He said he’d be open to scaling back tax incentives for data centers, potential restrictions on placing them in urban and suburban areas and a one-year moratorium on new construction while the general assembly studies their impact.
Rep. Colin Wellenkamp, a St. Charles Republican, introduced a bill that would have required large water users, like some data centers, to go through a permitting process with the Missouri Department of Natural Resources.
He said the state-level process could provide transparency for communities before it becomes a local controversy.
“Everyone is looking for a definable, more certain process where the players feel like we all know the rules,” Wellenkamp said. “Missourians are demanding that the state take action around AI infrastructure, and we should.”
Other lawmakers aren’t as interested in the state getting involved. Sen. Doug Beck, a St. Louis Republican and president of the Missouri Building and Construction Trades Council, said he personally wouldn’t want to see the state intervene in the issue.
“I think the local community should try to get the best deal they can,” Beck said, emphasizing he spoke for himself and not Senate Democrats. “I don’t want the state to really put down regulations and kind of force these things on local areas and local municipalities and counties.”
