Why I sponsored my city's data center moratorium

Source: The Blaze

No independent fact-checking ratings or scores (e.g., from AllSides, MBFC, or similar) appear in the search results. Blaze Media presents a mix of news, opinion, analysis, and entertainment, with content heavily featuring conservative hosts like Glenn Beck and Sara Gonzales. Ownership by a conservative commentator raises questions about incentives to prioritize ideological alignment over neutral reporting.

Source: The Blaze

Blaze Media positions itself as providing 'News, opinion, and entertainment' with dedicated sections for Opinion and Analysis, featuring contributor pieces and shows by figures like Glenn Beck. It focuses on conservative perspectives but lacks specific fact-checking ratings or error correction records in available data. Ownership by Glenn Beck's Mercury Radio Arts incentivizes alignment with conservative commentary, potentially prioritizing narrative over neutral reporting on local issues.

Source: Mark A. Moody

Mark A. Moody is a newly elected Cheyenne City Council Ward 3 member (elected November 5, 2024, with 4,586 votes at 33.9%) and Geography professor at Aims Community College, with a master's in GIS. No search results identify him as a media source or author, limiting assessment of media credibility, with his public profile centered on local government service and campaign platform but no documented fact-checking history or media output. Incentives appear tied to local politics, including endorsements from the Chamber of Commerce and NRA, potentially prioritizing pro-business and pro-law-order advocacy over neutral reporting.

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Claims Cheyenne has "12 fully operating data centers," but extensive searches across Wikipedia, city sites, tourism pages, and general queries returned zero mentions of any data centers in Cheyenne, let alone 12 operating ones.

Inflates the scale of existing development, making expansion concerns seem more urgent and immediate than they may be, potentially exaggerating risks to infrastructure.

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States "all local data centers currently use around 1.2% of Cheyenne’s total water supply" citing Cheyenne Board of Public Utilities and Cheyenne LEADS, but no sources confirm this figure or even list data centers as water users.

Presents a specific low-but-concerning baseline to justify fears of future scaling, without evidence, misleading on current impact.

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Cites "projections suggest Cheyenne could someday host 40 to 70 data centers," but no sources mention such projections.

Hypothetical extreme scale amplifies alarm about power, water, land without basis, pushing moratorium narrative.

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Claims Black Hills Energy "implemented a tariff requiring large data users — those with electricity loads above 13 megawatts — to build their own substations," but no evidence of this tariff or data center power arrangements.

Builds case that current protections may fail without study, but unverified detail undermines credibility of power strain argument.

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States a data center requires "at least 225 acres or more of land, according to the World Resources Institute," but WRI sources have no such claim.

Exaggerates land footprint to heighten ag/economic threat, as typical data centers use far less (e.g., 10-50 acres).

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Cites "In 2025, according to the Wyoming Farm Bureau, agriculture contributed $163 million to Laramie County’s economy," but no source confirms this figure.

Quantifies ag importance to frame land use conflict, but unverified number weakens economic diversification vs. ag balance.

Missing Context

Cheyenne Mayor Patrick Collins opposes the moratorium, citing legal risks and potential lawsuits from developers.

Omits opposition from city leadership, presenting the moratorium as a consensus community response rather than a debated proposal.

Missing Context

A petition drive aims for 7,000 signatures to support the moratorium, indicating grassroots but organized effort amid reports of up to 70 potential projects.

Provides scale of public support and developer interest (70 projects), adding context to why Moody sponsored it now.

Source Credibility

Published as opinion by Mark A. Moody, a newly elected conservative Cheyenne City Council member (Ward 3, Nov 2024), on conservative outlet The Blaze; transparently discloses sponsorship but relies on unverified stats.

Author's pro-business platform but caution on data centers suggests local incentives; The Blaze's conservative lean may amplify anti-big-tech framing.