In eastern Nebraska’s Cass County, residents of the 275‑person village of Murdock gathered at the local firehouse to voice concerns over rapid AI data‑center development. The meeting brought together a surprising alliance: longtime conservative farmers and the state Sierra Club chapter.
Local worries drive the opposition
Farmers like fifth‑generation corn and soybean grower Judy Stroy warned that “the amount of ground that’s getting gobbled up every year, our food source is in trouble.” The coalition fears that large‑scale computing facilities could consume precious water, raise electricity rates, and turn fertile farmland into industrial nodes.
Murdock, a historic railroad town with a school, post office, bar, a Corn Grower’s State Bank branch and the Midwest Farmer’s Coop, sits in a county that recently approved a 12‑month moratorium on new data‑center projects. The pause could affect energy company Tenaska’s proposal to option more than 1,300 acres along Highway 75 for a power plant and data center, as well as CyrusOne’s 400‑acre holding near Plattsmouth.
Economic promises versus community impact
President Trump and some union leaders have praised AI data centers as a source of jobs and a way to keep the United States ahead of China in the technology race. Yet local landowners note that while offers of $40,000 per acre are tempting, the long‑term costs to agriculture and water resources could outweigh short‑term gains.
“What if somebody offered me $40,000 an acre for my ground? It would be hard to turn down,” Stroy admitted, highlighting the tension between immediate financial incentives and the preservation of family farms.
Water concerns echo beyond Nebraska
Similar debates are playing out in New Mexico, where the $165 billion Project Jupiter data‑center complex near the Mexican border threatens dwindling water supplies. Republican water‑attorney Samantha Barncastle Salopek, a candidate for the Doña Ana County Commission, warned that “we didn’t get enough information” and that the project could strain already low reservoir levels.
Oracle, the developer, has pledged $50 million for water and wastewater infrastructure and plans to use closed‑loop cooling to limit water use. Nonetheless, the Center for Biological Diversity has filed an emergency petition to halt well‑drilling permits, and the state Supreme Court has temporarily blocked water withdrawals.
Labor sees both risk and opportunity
Mike Gage, president of the Nebraska State AFL‑CIO, expressed mixed feelings. While some workers fear AI could replace jobs, he noted that data centers can create construction jobs and long‑term positions managing the facilities. He cited a data‑center built decades ago in Council Bluffs, Iowa, which still employs about 60 people.
Labor‑relations specialist Heather McKenzie in Lincoln echoed the sentiment that strategic development could benefit small communities if balanced with safeguards for agriculture and water.
What’s next for Cass County?
The county’s moratorium gives officials time to assess the full impact of these projects on farmland, water, and local economies. Community leaders, faith‑based groups and families are urging a transparent process that respects property rights, parental concerns about future water availability, and the constitutional right to local self‑determination.
As the debate continues, Nebraskans watch closely to see whether the promise of high‑tech jobs can coexist with the preservation of the state’s agricultural heritage.
Original reporting: NBC4 Los Angeles — read the source article.
