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2026 Maine Senate
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Missouri Communities Challenge Data Centers
Coverage from Civic Media, STLPR, and others
Missouri communities are challenging proposed hyperscale data centers as local officials and state lawmakers debate rules for water use, electricity costs, land use, tax incentives, noise, pollution, and public disclosure.
St. Charles has prohibited large-scale facilities, Pacific has paused new applications, and opposition in places such as Festus has influenced local elections. Statewide legislation did not pass during the 2026 session, leaving development decisions increasingly shaped by local moratoriums, zoning proposals, public hearings, and legal or electoral campaigns.
The story now includes concrete local implementation beyond St. Charles and Festus, most notably Pacific’s one-year pause on new applications and broader St. Louis-area zoning and operating requirements. The debate has also widened to include noise, pollution, stormwater, wildlife, and developers’ economic-benefit arguments.