Activists Oppose Task Force & Demand Kansas City Data Center Ban

Following a showdown over a data center tower inside the loop, locals are pushing for even more protections. 

To wit . . . 

Activists reject the proposed "Kansas City Data Center Task Force" in favor of an outright ban. 

Here's the word and a peek at this week's upcoming legislative fight . . .  

This ordinance will create a 13 person task force that will dissolve at the end of 2 years. Their job will be to recommend policy based on research around utility rate increases, environmental impacts, and other things we have spoken up about and flagged in the past around the impacts of data centers. 

But what this ordinance also requires is that these take force members be experts in the fields of energy development and other areas that we feel are too open to interpretation . . . We'll have these data center appointees that we as voters really have no control over and don't represent our interests. 

We believe that this will ultimately delay any meaningful protections, further obfuscate the process by which data centers are approved and proposed, and give our city council an excuse to say they did something for tow years. 

We don't need another board of mayor appointed people making these decisions for us. We need a ban on data centers, full stop, and we need you to help us make that demand on August 11th.

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . .

Kansas City Ordinance 260638: "Establishing the Kansas City Data Center Transparency Task Force to develop recommendations regarding the planning, regulation, and operation of data centers; directing the development of policies to improve transparency, protect utility ratepayers, coordinate regulatory updates, strengthen workforce development, establish community benefit guidelines, evaluate municipal revenue options, and conduct public engagement; and directing the submission of recommendations to the Mayor and City Council."

Developing . . .