Beltline Energy has been trying to purchase land from local landowners to build an AI data center in Pottawatomie County, Kansas. This project poses significant threats to our local energy infrastructure, water quality, and overall community well-being. We urge the Pottawatomie County Commission to reject this proposal and prioritize growth that serves the people of Kansas instead of corporate interests. Beltline has already tried to implement similar projects in Missouri's Franklin and St. Louis Counties. The Missouri public pushed back, and now Beltline is targeting Kansans. 

The proposed data center would require an enormous amount of electricity, pushing an already strained local energy grid to its limits. This surge in demand could lead to higher electricity prices for residents and businesses, placing an unfair economic burden on the community. Additionally, our infrastructure may not be equipped to handle such a demand, increasing the risk of outages that could disrupt daily life, local economies, and essential services.

Data centers consume vast amounts of water for cooling, raising serious concerns about water usage and pollution. The Flint Hills Aquifer and The Kansas River are lifelines for Pottawatomie county and many counties downstream, providing drinking water and sustaining ecosystems. The proposed project could deplete water resources, compromising the health of the aquifer, the river, and everything that depends on them.  Beltline has not been clear about the source of the water for their coolant systems. 

The constant operation of a data center would contribute to light pollution, with bright, unnatural lighting disrupting local wildlife and ecosystems. It would also affect human well-being by interfering with sleep patterns and diminishing the visibility of our night skies.

The hum of servers, cooling systems, and backup generators would create persistent noise pollution, lowering property values, causing chronic stress for nearby residents, and disrupting local wildlife. Reliance on generators for backup power would further contribute to air pollution, emitting harmful particulate matter and pollutants that worsen respiratory conditions and environmental degradation.

These risks are immediate threats to the health and quality of life in Pottawatomie County. We urge the Pottawatomie Planning and Zoning Commission to consider the full scope of risks posed by this project. Instead of transforming our county into a hub for high-energy consuming facilities, we must focus on growth that prioritizes the well-being of the community and environment.

Your voice is crucial. Please sign this petition to stop Beltline Energy’s AI data center and help us protect the health and dignity of Pottawatomie County for generations to come.

More ways to get involved: 

SHOW UP for the next Planning Commission meeting on May 21st, 2026, at 7:00 pm in the Sunflower room, 612 E Campbell St, Westmoreland, KS to express your disapproval! The public comment date will be set afterwards, and we will need more public support then.

Contact the county commissioners: https://www.pottcounty.org/Directory.aspx?DID=7 

Read about the negative impacts of data centers: 

Data Center Growth Could Increase Electricity Bills Nationally - ​

Data Drain: The Land and Water Impacts of the AI Boom​

The Health Divide: The AI data center boom will harm the health of communities that can least afford it

Read about Beltline's previous attempts: 

Pacific residents push back on $16B data center pitched for their slice of Franklin County​

Pacific data center rezoning meeting ends abruptly after developer tables request 

Talk to your friends, family, neighbors, and anyone in the community!