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FFA students, residents press Missouri legislators on proposed data centers' water, land and tax impacts
Summary
Montgomery County R2 FFA members and local residents told the Agriculture Committee that proposed data centers could consume large amounts of water, take hundreds of acres of farmland and create light and noise impacts, while county officials and economic-development supporters highlighted projected school revenue and pilot tax arrangements.
Members of the Montgomery County R2 FFA and a panel of local officials and residents presented to the Agriculture Committee on concerns and trade-offs tied to proposed large-scale data centers in their county.
Amanda Sullivan, the FFA adviser at Montgomery County High School, introduced the student team and said the group is studying the local impacts of two proposed sites. Commissioner George said the two sites would total about 1,760 acres — roughly 980 acres for a north site linked in discussion to Amazon Web Services and 780 acres for a south site associated in remarks with Google — and emphasized that, he said, landowners were selling voluntarily and the county would not use eminent domain.
The panel, which included a utilities representative introduced as Kate and Dr. Walker, superintendent and a member of the county Economic Development Committee, answered community questions about noise, light, water and taxes. Kate told the committee that the facilities would use water for cooling and offered an estimate of about 15,000,000 gallons per year for a data-center site, which she said the local water district could accommodate. The presentation also cited a Farm Bureau policy position that supports transparent reporting of projected water use and adoption of water-efficient technologies such as closed-loop cooling.
Farmers and environmental speakers said those figures and assurances were not enough. "One thousand seven hundred acres is a lot of farm ground to lose," said Hank, a fifth-generation farmer, who also raised worries about property values and nighttime light and noise. Diana, speaking for local environmental groups, urged the committee to "say no to the data center" and argued the projects would harm wildlife and habitats.
Supporters highlighted possible financial benefits for local schools and services. Dr. Walker said the first four buildings could generate about $11 million for the school district in the first year and that a full 17-building campus might yield roughly $43 million annually to the school district. Opponents pushed back, saying tax abatements and pilot agreements need clearer terms and that large aggregate numbers require context and independent verification.
On procedural and policy options, legislators asked for more comparative context about water use and called attention to state-level proposals that could redirect new construction revenue toward property tax relief. Representative Job pointed to pending proposals in the legislature that would alter how new revenues from projects are distributed to local taxpayers.
The committee did not take formal action; members praised the students’ presentation and encouraged continued community engagement and additional data before any local approvals. Commissioner George said the county would continue the discussion at its next commissioner meeting.
Ending: The Agriculture Committee adjourned after members asked staff to collect additional context and data requested by legislators and residents. No bills or votes on the data-center project occurred during the meeting.
