One of the most important and controversial issues facing Kansas is the rapid build-out of large-scale data centers. Promising a future of jobs and economic opportunity, data centers also come with a host of challenges: the potential impacts on local air, land use, water, noise and light pollution; how they’re going to be powered and what that means for ratepayers and for the environment; and perhaps most importantly, how to keep some of the richest corporations in America accountable.
That’s why so many communities throughout the state have risen in opposition to these projects, and many (including us) have called for a moratorium on new construction until these questions are addressed. It has become a hot issue in this year’s elections as well.
Kansas Interfaith Action, in cooperation with our partners in the Kansas WEALTH (Water, Energy, Air, Land, Transportation and Health) Coalition, held a series of panel discussions throughout the state this fall, focusing on the issue of data centers, looking at the challenges they pose, and asking whether it is possible to establish sufficient guardrails to allow these projects to move forward.
As people of faith and conscience, we must consider the implications of large-scale data centers on the earth and on those who are most vulnerable in our communities. We hope you were able to join us in person for this important conversation! If not, or if you’d like a refresher, below please find a recording of our Johnson County stop. Also below please find PDFs of resources that were shared at these events.
Data Centers: Opportunity or Nightmare? Johnson County stop, 10/13/2026
Data Centers: Opportunity or Nightmare? PDF Resources from the WEALTH Coalition.