Montgomery County residents voiced their concerns against data center projects at two different press conferences on June 23.

The first one was held in mid-afternoon at the parking lot at Wentzville City Hall, where State Rep. Tricia Byrnes proposed legislation that would increase transparency and public involvement in the review of the data center projects. The second one was held in the early evening in front of the Montgomery County Middle School building, which was hosted by the Missouri Rural Crisis Center.

Resident Tom Westhoff went to both press conferences. He joined Harry Cope – a county farmer and a candidate for Presiding Commissioner – at the Wentzville press conference that lasted 30 minutes. He joined a group of about 25 people at the 15-minute press conference that was held at MCMS.

Westhoff said in the Wentzville press conference that there are too many risks associated with the data centers, such as water usage, noise pollution and water contamination.

“All of this leads to the fact that these new data centers are new, large and essentially unregulated,” Westhoff said. “If we are to live with data centers, we need more regulations and more protection from the citizens.”

Westhoff said in the press conference at MCMS that the data projects will turn Montgomery County from a quiet, rural agricultural area to an industry-based one.

“The state wants Silicon Valley along I-70 with Montgomery County being the center,” Westhoff said. “No one asked us if we wanted it.”

Amazon is building a data center to be located on a 1,000-acre parcel in the northeast quadrant of the Interstate 70 and Highway 19 interchange near New Florence and is investing $10 billion. The company held an open house at the MCMS gymnasium during the same time the press conference started at 5 p.m.

Google is building a second data center in the southeast quadrant of the interchange and is investing $15 billion.

The Missouri Rural Crisis Center, which is based in Columbia, mailed surveys to all of the active registered voters in the county and most of them opposed having data projects being built. Out of the 1,461 surveys returned, nearly 85 percent of them (1,239) were against data centers.

“The survey results that were announced and everyone who is still opposing this present a pretty good picture that not everyone in the community wants these data centers here,” said county resident Tammy Ridgley, who attended the press conference at MCMS. “I think we all need to pause and look at what’s happening and really, really take a hard look at our county, our state and our country and what is actually best for it.”

Olivia Stockman, MRCC’s Director of Organizing and Campaigns, was the coordinator of the survey. She said 20 data center projects have been announced or under construction in Missouri within the last 12 months.

“Data centers are popping up all over the United States as big companies rush to cash in on wild speculations about how artificial intelligence may impact the future of the global economy,” Stockman said. “Big tech now has its eyes on rural Missouri, a state abundant with natural resources and home to many farmers and rural communities eager for economic development.”

The press conference at Wentzville was originally scheduled to be held at Graham Cave State Park in Danville before it was announced on June 18 that it was going to be moved east to St. Charles County.

“I got a call from the state that said that I didn’t have the right to assemble and talk to the press on public property,” Byrnes said. “To me, that says everything.”