Missouri Town Fires Half Council After Data Center Approval
Original: Missouri Town Council Approves Data Center. A Week Later, Voters Fire Half of Council
Why This Matters
Shows growing voter backlash against data centers as power demand triples nationwide
Voters in Festus, Missouri ousted four incumbent city council members one week after they approved a $6 billion data center project by CRG Acquisition LLC. The project includes a buyout program for 11 homes within 1,000 feet of the facility.
On March 30, Festus city council approved a $6 billion data center project by CRG Acquisition LLC. The project includes a buyout program for eleven homes on Glenkee Court located within 1,000 feet of planned data center buildings. One week later, voters defeated all four incumbent council members running for re-election, replacing them with candidates like Rick Belleville, who said the deal was handled poorly and the city wasn't listening to residents. The data center will use Tier 4 generators with natural gas or low-sulfur diesel, similar to controversial facilities like Elon Musk's xAI center in Memphis that has drawn complaints about air pollution. Festus joins Port Washington, Wisconsin as communities pushing back against data center development amid expected tripling of power demand over five years.