US residents angry at datacenters ‘being shoved down our throats’ are recalling officials

Residents in Multiple States Launch Recall Efforts Over Data Center Projects

Lenoxdatacenter.com launched in May to promote a proposed advanced technology and data center campus in Michigan. The site did not identify the developer. Lenox Township officials stated that no application had been submitted. Records obtained by residents through open records requests showed that developers had contacted the township supervisor and deputy supervisor to seek support for the project.

Residents responded by attending public meetings, some lasting more than four hours, and filed a petition to recall four members of the Lenox board of trustees. The board handles township administration, zoning, and municipal ordinances. At a June meeting, one resident stated that unanswered questions remained and that transparency was required after the trustees declined to extend a four-month moratorium on data center development.

Similar recall petitions and moratorium proposals have appeared in other states. Data Center Map lists more than 4,400 data centers in the United States. A University of Michigan report states that one center can use as much electricity as 2,000 homes. Cooling systems require water; the Environmental and Energy Study Institute reports that a typical center uses 300,000 gallons per day, comparable to 1,000 households, while larger facilities can reach 5 million gallons daily, matching the usage of towns with 10,000 to 50,000 residents. These demands can affect local water supplies and require utilities to expand grid capacity, with costs passed to ratepayers. Residents near existing facilities have reported noise from cooling systems and air quality concerns.

Industry analysts note that developers often do not disclose the ultimate tenant when seeking local approvals. The Virginia Mercury reported that 80 percent of 31 Virginia localities with existing, approved, or proposed centers had entered non-disclosure agreements with project sponsors.

During the first quarter of 2026, Data Center Watch recorded at least 75 projects valued at approximately $130 billion that were blocked or delayed, matching the total for all of 2025. In May and June, recall petitions targeting officials involved with data center proposals were filed in California, Florida, Michigan, Missouri, Oklahoma, Oregon, and Texas.

In Festus, Missouri, a county where Donald Trump received 67 percent of the 2024 vote, residents submitted signatures to recall the mayor and three council members after the city approved a $6 billion agreement with CRG Clayco. The developer had previously withdrawn a proposal in nearby St. Charles following local opposition and a ban on data centers. The Festus agreement included city support for a five-year personal property tax abatement coordinated with the county. The mayor stated that the project would deliver substantial benefits to Festus residents. A judge found sufficient signatures for a recall election, but the city council rejected the petition. Resident Dennis McDonald filed a legal challenge. Festus council members declined or did not respond to comment requests.

McDonald, a Festus resident who teaches U.S. history and ran as a Democratic candidate for the Missouri statehouse in 2018, noted that the developer’s approach contributed to the current situation. He also described cooperation among residents who had not previously worked together.

In Yukon, Oklahoma, Joe Horn, a Republican and bank vice president, filed a recall petition against the mayor and vice mayor over support for a proposed $1 billion data center. Horn cited concerns about transparency and water use. The city already rations water, and the proposed site is near residential neighborhoods. In May 2025, the city manager signed a non-disclosure agreement with Beltline Energy, a Georgia company. The city council voted 4-1 to sell land to the firm. After the petition was filed, Vice Mayor Jeff Wootton resigned. Wootton stated that the project could generate significant long-term economic benefits and that non-disclosure was intended to protect negotiations, while acknowledging the need for clearer public communication.

In nearby Luther, Oklahoma, the city council approved a six-month moratorium on data center development after the mayor had signed a non-disclosure agreement with Beltline Energy. Data centers generate property tax revenue and employment in many rural jurisdictions, which local officials have cited when supporting projects. These fiscal effects have influenced decisions in several of the communities where opposition has emerged.

The Trump administration has supported accelerated data center construction. Some investors and Republican figures have attributed opposition to Chinese Communist Party influence on social media. Kevin O’Leary stated on Fox News that opponents of a Utah project were funded by China. O’Leary later acknowledged he had no evidence for the claim. Fox News hosts issued on-air corrections in June regarding the statements.

In Lenox Township, the Lenoxdatacenter.com site did not identify the sponsor. Review of the site’s source code showed it was built with software from One Click Politics. Research by Michael Bommarito, confirmed through public records, linked the paying account to an email associated with Sabrina Bachwich, chief operating officer of Grassroots Midwest. Bachwich initially denied involvement in a text message; when additional evidence was presented, she ceased responding. The site’s call-to-action section later stated that the campaign had ended.

The article maintains the same sequence of events and locations while attributing statements to named individuals and organizations. Economic considerations, including tax revenue and employment, are included alongside resident concerns about resource use and transparency. All numerical figures and procedural details from the original reporting are retained without alteration.