As the number of proposed data centers in Missouri grows, so it seems do the number of lawsuits designed to stop them from being built.
Chris Azevedo, economics professor at the University of Central Missouri in Warrensburg, told Missourinet why data center lawsuits are on the rise.
“It boils down to local residents feeling like they’re going to get stuck bearing the costs of these data centers, which generate tremendous benefits,” Azevedo said.
He said those benefits often go to out-of-state companies that build them, along with their investors, and that much of the opposition surrounding data centers seems to focus on who’s going to benefit more.
“I think the problem is that there’s uncertainty and there’s secrecy,” Azevedo said. “People feel like they haven’t been a part of the conversation and they don’t feel like they’ve ever been asked whether or not this is a good idea or not.”
He advises developers to be honest and open with local communities.
“You can have something that’s a good project that may create a lot of local benefits, but if you’re secretive about it, it makes it look to people in the area as if you’re going to tell them what’s the best thing and they need to just sit back and let you handle it,” Azevedo said. “I think that’s a bad approach.”
He also said that being open and fully transparent won’t eliminate all opposition, but he suggested it would go a long way toward building trust with local residents.
As for whether data center lawsuits threaten economic development, Azevedo also suggested it varies depending on each individual location and the circumstances involved.
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