SerpApi.Org
Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., said his constituents are "on fire" against artificial intelligence data centers, offering support for the growing number of local moratoriums in the Sunflower State.
Marshall made the comments Wednesday at the Semafor World of Work event in Washington, D.C.
"Several dozen counties have placed moratoriums," Marshall told Semafor's Burgess Everett. "I certainly support their moratoriums."
Marshall, who is up for reelection this cycle, said he opposes tax incentives for data centers.
He argued the facilities strain local infrastructure like water and electricity while creating few permanent jobs after being built.
Marshall pointed to higher electricity rates near a new Panasonic plant in Kansas as a warning sign of rising energy demand driving up rates for nearby residents.
"I certainly don't want it to drive up other people's electricity costs," he said.
Marshall stopped short of endorsing a statewide moratorium on data center construction, like the one New York Gov. Kathy Hochul imposed earlier this month.
He said moratorium decisions should be made at the local level rather than the state or federal level.
At the same time, Marshall left open the possibility of Congress addressing national security implications tied to AI infrastructure.
He warned that advances in AI combined with quantum computing could eventually undermine blockchain technology and encryption, giving powerful tools to foreign adversaries and terrorists.
The backlash to data centers spans political parties and threatens to slow the U.S. AI industry, which relies heavily on domestic infrastructure to power its systems.
Concerns about job displacement are also feeding a growing negative view of AI nationally, complicating efforts by companies developing new models.
Public skepticism of the projects is growing, according to Gallup polling reported by Semafor in mid-May.
The poll found 7 in 10 Americans say they oppose building data centers where they live.
Data centers are disliked across the ideological spectrum and are acutely unpopular among Democrats, 56% of whom say they strongly oppose the projects, the poll found.
Half of those opposed cited the centers' drain on resources, including water and energy usage and environmental impacts, according to the poll. Twenty-two percent raised quality-of-life concerns, and 1 in 5 pointed to higher costs.
Most supporters cited economic benefits such as job creation, the polling showed.
The numbers help explain why data centers have become a political target for lawmakers as energy prices continue rising as well as the reason tech companies are searching for ways to make the projects more attractive to communities.
Asked about data center development in a Kansas City television station's voter guide, Marshall said Kansas "isn't going to hand over our land, water, or power grid to Big Tech companies that turn a profit while local families foot the bill with taxpayer giveaways," according to low news station KSHB.
"I support the counties in Kansas who are standing up and saying 'no' to data centers," Marshall said.
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