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Resident urges Marion County to weigh long-term impacts before approving data centers
Summary
At the March meeting, a Marion County resident warned commissioners that proposed data centers could strain rural infrastructure—raising concerns about electricity demand, heavy water use, noise, light pollution and the effects of tax incentives cited in SB 98.
Laurie Peter, a Marion County resident, urged the county commission to carefully evaluate potential long-term impacts before approving any data center development in the county. Peter told commissioners she has lived in Marion County nearly 18 years and said large modern data centers can place “significant demands on local infrastructure, water resources, and rural communities.”
Peter cited several concrete concerns: increased electric power demand that she said can be comparable to "50,000 to 100,000 homes," the daily water needs of certain cooling systems (she stated a single large facility can use "300,000 to 500,000 gallons of water per day" depending on design), and noise and light pollution from cooling systems and backup generators. She also warned that infrastructure upgrades such as substations and transmission lines sometimes fall partly on local ratepayers, potentially raising utility bills.
Peter referenced tax incentives when discussing the local fiscal calculus. She said that "in 2025, Kansas governor Laura Kelly signed into law SB 98, which establishes a state and local tax exemption," and argued that tax incentives combined with infrastructure costs can reduce the net benefit to counties.
The commission had previously placed a moratorium and scheduled upcoming work sessions to develop regulations for data centers and for battery energy storage systems, planning to review zoning and code changes through the planning commission and in public hearings. Agency staff (S13) told the board that the planning office will run work sessions on data centers and battery storage to develop regulatory language.
No formal action on data center approvals was taken at the meeting; Peter closed by asking commissioners to weigh the county’s water, land and rural character when evaluating proposals. The commission’s next steps include staff work sessions and future planning commission hearings to refine regulations before any project approvals.
