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A proposed $16 billion AI data center campus in Missouri was withdrawn shortly after strong public opposition emerged at a packed community meeting.According to reports, the developer pulled the proposal before formal public testimony even began.Residents had raised concerns about the project’s potential electricity demand, water use, industrial noise, increased traffic, the loss of farmland, and broader environmental impacts.The proposal’s withdrawal highlights a growing trend across the United States, where local communities are becoming increasingly involved in decisions about where large-scale AI data centers and other major digital infrastructure projects should be built.As demand for artificial intelligence continues to accelerate, developers are finding that access to land, power, and water is only part of the equation. Public support is becoming an equally important factor.Source: Data Center Watch (2026).