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Festus, Missouri (Jefferson County) has one major data-center controversy right now (as of November 2025):
The Project
Who: Meta (Facebook) is building a ~1 million sq ft hyperscale data center campus on the old PPG glass plant site (975 Horine Rd / Highway 61-67 area, mostly in unincorporated Jefferson County but right next to Festus city limits).
Size & power: Initially 350–500 MW, potentially growing to 1+ GW. That’s enormous — bigger than many Virginia clusters.
Status: Ground broken in 2024; first buildings expected online late 2026–2027.
Real Local Impacts People in Festus Area Are Fighting
Power: Ameren Missouri filed for a ~$200M+ transmission upgrade that will partly show up on residential bills statewide. Critics say data centers could add $20–60/month to average Missouri household bills by 2030 if more follow.
Water: Originally planned evaporative cooling (~500,000 gallons/day at full build-out). After backlash, Meta switched to a closed-loop system with almost zero water withdrawal, but locals still worry about construction impacts on wells and Joachim Creek.
Noise & visuals: 24/7 generator testing and cooling fans — neighbors in Imperial/Festus already complaining about similar (smaller) centers.
Tax breaks: Jefferson County gave Meta a 75–100% property-tax abatement for 20–30 years through Chapter 100 bonds. County gets some sales-tax revenue, but schools and fire districts see almost nothing.
How Residents Are Pushing Back (and Winning Some Concessions)
“No Data Center in JeffCo” Facebook group — 3k+ members, very active. They organize speakers for every county/city meeting.
Force public hearings
Festus City Council and Jefferson County Council have both held multiple packed meetings in 2025. Residents forced Meta to:
Switch to zero-liquid-discharge cooling.
Add noise walls and landscaping.
Pay $5M+ upfront for local road/fire upgrades.
Pressure Ameren Missouri rate case
Missouri PSC docket ER-2025-0189 (ongoing). Citizens are intervening to demand data centers pay 100% of incremental transmission costs instead of socializing them. File comments here: https://www.efis.psc.mo.gov (easy online form).
School district lawsuit threat
Festus R-6 and Dunklin R-5 schools are publicly threatening to sue over lost tax revenue. That pressure already got Meta to promise voluntary “payments in lieu of taxes” (amount still being negotiated).
Local election impact
Several anti-abatement county council members were elected/re-elected in 2024–2025 explicitly on slowing data centers.
Next Concrete Steps If You Live There
Join/show up: Jefferson County Council meetings (2nd & 4th Mondays, Hillsboro) and Festus City Council (2nd & 4th Mondays).
File a comment with Missouri PSC before the Ameren rate case closes (expected Q1 2026) — literally takes 5 minutes online and carries real weight.
Contact: State Rep. Mike McGirl (District 118) and Senator Holly Thompson Rehder (District 27) — both have been sympathetic to rural power-bill concerns.
Bottom line: The Meta center is moving forward, but organized residents have already forced major changes (water use eliminated, extra millions in community payments, etc.). More pressure = more concessions or delays.
If you want the exact dates of the next hearings or template letters people are using, let me know — happy to pull them.