The Sierra Club Kansas Chapter has worked with our allies in the WEALTH coalition to develop the following statement.

Also, see our joint press release delivered September 3, 2026 at approximately 8:00A.M. by Lindsay Hamilton, KS WEALTH Coalition Facilitator >

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
The Kansas WEALTH Coalition Calls for a Data Center Moratorium Until Significant Guardrails Are Put in Place

The WEALTH Coalition demands state and local policies that prioritize the health, safety, and welfare of Kansas communities.
Kansas (September 1, 2026) - The Kansas WEALTH (Water, Energy, Air, Land, Transportation, and Health) Coalition released a joint statement calling for a data center moratorium until significant guardrails are established to protect the health, safety, and welfare of Kansas communities.

The attached statement defines the principles under which guardrails must be developed:

• Corporate accountability - Requires developers to be transparent and accountable
• Transparent third-party studies - Evaluates the environmental and infrastructure impact
• Protection of local water resources - Safeguards the long-term needs of Kansans
• Establish reasonable buffer zones - Distance from schools, hospitals, and neighborhoods
• Meaningful public participation - Creates opportunities for community input
• Comprehensive review processes - Base reviews on unique impacts and local circumstances
• New Clean Capacity and Energy - Generate or purchase their own new clean energy
• Energy efficiency standards - Build to the highest standards to reduce further grid impacts
• Public reporting - Ensure accountability regarding public water and energy use
• Fair labor standards - Require prevailing wage and apprenticeship programs

The statement is posted online (bit.ly/ksdatacenters) and is available as a sign-on letter for individuals and organizations who want to show their support for a data center moratorium and common sense guardrails that protect our Kansas communities.

Quotes from our members:

“The mad rush to site and build large-scale data centers, supported by state tax abatements and with little public oversight, puts us in a wild-west scenario. The challenges that these huge facilities pose – profligate use of water and energy in particular, but also how we make the richest corporations in human history live up to their commitments to our communities – must be addressed before we mortgage our state’s future to tech billionaires.” – Rabbi Moti Rieber, Executive Director, Kansas Interfaith Action.

“The choices we make around large-scale data centers today will define our region's climate future for generations. If we fail to power this massive digital demand with clean energy, we risk locking in higher pollution, overburdening our power grid, and leaving local communities to pay the price. By demanding clean energy generation, grid resilience, and genuine accountability right now, we can ensure technology drives a thriving, sustainable future—rather than compromising it." — Dorothy Barnett, Executive Director, Climate + Energy Project

“Whether it's the extreme energy consumption, water use, air pollution, land disturbance, or other problems, these hyperscale data centers have proven detrimental to the environment and to the communities that host them. Kansans deserve more protections to ensure A.I. data centers are designed sustainably, sited properly, taxed appropriately, and don’t harm our communities and environment.” — Zack Pistora, Kansas Director, Sierra Club

“Large-scale data centers will strain our power supplies and tap into already limited water sources, particularly impacting the most vulnerable across the state. Kansans are speaking out to say we don’t want Kansas communities to shoulder the burden of data centers, while the wealthy reap the rewards. Kansans deserve better.” — Tom Buller, Executive Director, Kansas Rural Center

About KS WEALTH: The mission of the Kansas WEALTH Coalition is to advance climate resilience and clean energy policies across the state. By collaboratively and equitably building power, we identify opportunities to reduce risk and increase resilience in the face of a changing climate. Reducing climate risks positively impacts our state’s Water, Energy, Air, Land, Transportation, and Health - WEALTH

DOWNLOAD THE PRESS RELEASE PDF HERE

We've been collaborating with our many local allies to push back on massive energy loads from data centers, which keep coal plants open and trigger a vast buildout of methane gas-fired power plants. 

Our focus is on educating decision makers about key negative environmental impacts. In addition to threatening long-term climate targets and tethering customers to volatile international gas prices, data centers consume excessive amounts of precious water resources for cooling and they rely on heavy backup diesel generators that emit unhealthy pollution.

Is there a data center being built in your area?
Do you want to join local advocacy efforts?
Let us know. 

SIGN THE PETITION TO LOCAL DECISION MAKERS
 

• Corporate accountability
• Transparent third-party studies
• Protected local water resources
• Reasonable buffer zones
• Meaningful public participation
• Transparent review processes
• Requirements to generate or purchase their own clean energy and storage *of the highest energy efficiency standards
• Transparent reporting
• Fair labor standards