Pott Co Data Watch
We are a grassroots organization working towards getting a three year moratorium on data centers in Pottawatomie County. Our mission is to ensure that residents have access to critical information and the tools to participate in shaping our community's future and to prevent damage to our community’s water, air, and economic conditions.
John Watt
Matt Ubel
About Pott County Data Watch
Pott County Data Watch is a grassroots group of concerned citizens dedicated to providing transparent, fact-based information about data center proposals and their potential impacts on our community.
Our group was formed after Beltline held a town hall about their proposed hyperscale facility. The odds were already stacked against us. The meeting wasn’t originally intended to be open to the public. Beltline kicked KSNT 27’s camera. But over 200 people showed up anyway and The Manhattan Uranus recorded anyway, and what happened next went viral.
During the meeting, Beltline’s Co-Founder, Ryan Sanders unplugged the microphone of John Watt, while he was asking questions about the project and its potential impacts. Residents expected to hear Beltline talk out of both sides of their mouth– what we did not expect was for them to work so hard to silence us during a Q&A in which we were invited to ask questions. This was a flashpoint: it was the moment we committed to each other and to making sure residents have the information they need to understand what is happening in our own backyard.
We research data center developments and community responses across the country while monitoring local meetings, development proposals, and public records. We work to bring important information together in one place and share what we find so residents can ask questions, see what’s being proposed, and hold decision-makers accountable.
Our goal is simple: to ensure Pottawatomie County residents have the information, transparency, and opportunity for public input needed to make informed decisions about the future of our community. We believe residents deserve to know what all aspects of what is being sold to us, to ask questions, to share their concerns, and to have a meaningful voice in decisions that could shape the future of our community.
Contributors
To credit all of our volunteers would be impossible: our group spans the entire political spectrum, with over 40 volunteer humans and businesses contributing to this cause. But there are a few who have taken central roles in this endeavor.
John Watt
Our FacilitatorJohn was born and raised in Wamego, graduated from Wamego Highschool, and later went on to get his Bachelor's degree from Kansas State University. John’s dad, also John, has been an attorney in Wamego for over 40 years, is a judge in St Marys Kansas, and was the county counselor for Pottawatomie county for nearly 20 years. Susan Watt was a premedical advisor at Kansas State University for over 20 years and was on the Wamego School board.
Matt Ubel
Our CandidateMatt Ubel is so committed to protecting Pott County residents and agriculture, that he jumped into the ring, running for Pottawatomie County Commissioner for District 5 against Incumbent, Terry Force. Ubel is a 6th generation farmer and rancher in rural Pottawatomie county. He is the Vice President of the Farmer’s Union, a devoted husband, and father of four. Ubel is running on a platform of transparency, fiscal responsibility, rural life, and most importantly– opposing a hyperscale data center from being built in Pottawatomie county.
R.D. Carlson
Our Vox Populi Carlson is an outspoken opponent of the data center and a multi-generational farmer from Emmett, KS. The Carlsons were the original owners of the land that Jeffery Energy Center sits on now. They were pioneer settlers, and their hands held the first plow that ever touched that ground. When the power plant was introduced to the community the Carlsons refused to sell. Kansas Power and Light obtained it through eminent domain. The Carlsons sued, but did not win back their land—only a slightly higher price. The Carlsons are in the crosshairs of this development, too: their matriarch still lives in the farmhouse closest to Beltline’s proposed hyperscale facility.
What we’re monitoring
-
Beltline’s proposed facility can not move forward until the County has adopted specific regulations for Data Centers. This is called a “zoning overlay.” The overlay is still being drafted by the Pottawatomie County Planning and Zoning Board. View their draft regulations.
-
Unless we are successful in obtaining a moratorium, this proposed hyperscale data center will be governed by the Pottawatomie County Planning and Zoning Board and the Pottawatomie County Commissioners.
-
Hyperscale data centers have a growing body of research which points to negative impacts on livestock, crops, wildlife, and the environment. Livestock experience lower birth rates and weights.
-
This information is not currently available to the public. We are currently raising $5,000 to fund a FOIA request: the key that will unlock these documents. We are 70% to our goal– can you help us cross the finish line?
-
Other communities across the US already have data centers– and the health risks associated with them. New research on noise, water, air, and sound pollution are beginning to emerge. Associated risks include heightened risk for respiratory and cardiovascular conditions, stress, anxiety, lowered fertility rates, and asthma.
-
While data center developers will promise enormous economic benefits, fulfilled promises to other communities have fallen short. These facilities provide relatively few jobs after construction, drive up utility rates for residential users, and often do not provide the promised revenue. They also disrupt existing economic drivers, like agriculture.
U.S. Data Center Watch Map
Track data center projects across the United States. This interactive map shows proposed, planned, and operational data center facilities nationwide.
Hover over or click on data center locations to learn more about each project, including proposed capacity, timeline, and community impact assessments.
Data/map source: IM3 Open Source Data Center Atlas, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. Data center locations are derived from OpenStreetMap and are subject to ongoing validation.
get involved
Become a canvasser
The best way to help is by gathering signatures requesting a moratorium. We have had a petition legally drafted, and need to gather as many signatures as we can to let our county commissioners know that we don’t want a data center here. We will be canvassing to gather signatures for a three year moratorium against the proposed data center, as well as canvassing for Matt Ubel for district 5 county commission. This means knocking doors, calling your neighbors, getting their name, address, signature, and date. County Commissioners will only value and listen to Pottawatomie county residents, so all signatories must be residents of the county and of legal age to vote. All canvassers need to hold on to their signature sheets until the planning commission has finished writing regulations, then we will submit the signatures to the county. We also need to show that these signatures have been legally obtained, and all canvassers need to bring their signatures to a notary to have them notarized. Most banks have a free notary service.
COMISSION MEETINGS
Show up to planning commission meetings and county commission meetings to use your voice! Planning commission meetings don’t allow public comment, but packing the room and connecting with your planning commission members before and after the meetings is important. County commission meetings are held every Monday at 8:30am in the sunflower room in Westmoreland KS, and allow for 3 minutes of public comment at the beginning of each session. It is imperative to let the commissioners know your opposition and why.
CONTACT REPRESENTATIVES
Contact your Representatives - You can write and call your local representatives as well. Information here: https://www.pottcounty.org/148/Board-of-County-Commissioners
Current Funding Needs
-
County staff, Chamber representatives, and EcoDevo staff have already had closed-door meetings with Beltline Energy, and may have signed NDAs. As we are aware, Beltline arrived months before any of this became public. Terry Force stated in a commission meeting he had not signed any NDA’s, but John Watt pointed out they had entered into closed session under trade secrets with Beltline February 23rd. We are currently raising $5,000 to access all information Beltline and these reps have hidden from the public, so we can get a full picture of what is really happening. Beltline’s proposed facility can not move forward until the County has adopted specific regulations for Data Centers. This is called a “zoning overlay.” The overlay is still being drafted by the Pottawatomie County Planning and Zoning Board. View their draft regulations.
-
Yard signs are very effective but also expensive. We are doing well on social media in free publicity, but need funding for print and digital advertising to expand our reach.
Most of our funding needs are provided by the generous donations of community members who care. When there are refreshments at an event, we are meeting at Celebrations, or you see a yard sign, thank a volunteer. The cash funds we need are for a FOIA request.
Make an impact today!
FOIA Campaign
Raised so far
$0
Fundraising goal
$5,000
0% of the goal funded
0%
Still needed
$5,000
Campaign update
Lets get this started! Bar may take up to 48 hours to update.
UPCOMING EVENTS
UPCOMING EVENTS
Meetings:
county Commission Meetings
Rules & Regulations, County Funding, Policy Making, Tax Rates, etc.
Every Monday at 8:30 am
Sunflower Room:
612 E Campbell St Westmoreland, KS
https://www.pottcounty.org/148/Board-of-County-Commissioners
Planning and zoning meeting
Data Center Regulations
Every last thursday of the month unless updated their website:
September 17th at 7 pm
Sunflower Room:
612 E Campbell St Westmoreland, KS
https://www.pottcounty.org/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_09172026-837
signature gathering
September 16th, 6pm
Onaga Country Market:
120 Prospect St, Onaga KS
signature gathering
September 18th, 6pm
Westmoreland Hometown Market:
314 Main St, Westmoreland, KS
Signature Gathering:
Frequently Asked Questions
-
The answer is fluid, because it depends on how long it takes for the planning commission to submit regulations to the county commission. We need to get as many signatures as possible, so we are working as hard as we can show the commission how much opposition there is. When the planning commission finishes their regulations, all canvassers will be asked to get their pages notarized and submitted.
-
John Watt had conversations with folks that know the commissioners well, and understand the dynamics of the county. Asking for an outright ban most likely would not have worked, but there is legal precedent for a 3 year moratorium because examples of these exist for electric windmills and solar panel farms.
-
It’s true that Jeffrey energy center is the largest tax payer in the county, and it’s the reason Pottawatomie county has the 2nd lowest taxes in the state. That said, there has been significant investment in the facility, high conductive powerlines, talks about conversion to natural gas, and it would not make sense for Evergy to close the plant when so much cost has already been sunk. There has been talk of Jeffrey closing for many years, and it never does. Demand for energy in the US increases year after year. Evergy would prefer Beltline help pay for their conversion to natural gas obviously, but this should not be done at the expense of our health and wellbeing.
Follow Our Journey
⦁
Follow Our Journey
Follow Our Journey ⦁ Follow Our Journey
Get in touch
Have questions or want to volunteer? Connect with Pott County Data Watch.