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By Morgan Chilson

TOPEKA — State health authorities warned Kansans to be aware of an increase in encounters with animals that carry rabies, primarily bats.

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment issued an advisory Tuesday urging health care providers to be aware of the importance of administering a rabies risk assessment because of increases in rabid animals.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a similar advisory last week because many areas nationwide are reporting increased exposures to rabid or possibly rabid animals.

“Several high-profile rabies outbreaks and mass rabies exposure events have highlighted the importance of performing careful rabies risk assessments and following evidence-based recommendations for administering (post-exposure prophylaxis),” CDC’s advisory said.

Treatment for people exposed to rabies is a series of shots administered when rabies is suspected or confirmed. Rabies is nearly 100% fatal if treatment isn’t administered, the CDC advisory said.

KDHE encouraged health departments to help by reminding clinicians about the importance of administering a risk assessment before starting treatment. The assessment considers the risk of rabies in the animal, the circumstances that led to the exposure, if the animal had any clinical signs consistent with rabies, and the type and severity of the wound, the CDC advisory said.

There have been no human rabies cases in Kansas this year, according to the KDHE Infectious Disease Dashboard.

“Each year, 1.4 million Americans receive healthcare for a possible rabies exposure, 100,000 receive post-exposure prophylaxis, and fewer than 10 die from rabies due to robust prevention efforts,” a CDC report said.

The CDC received 17% more rabies-related inquiries from July through August, than during the same period in 2025.

The agency also received reports from at least eight state health departments of increased rabies post-exposure assessments being used.

“According to weekly pharmacy data as of September 2, 2026, utilization for the two rabies vaccines and the two rabies immunoglobulins licensed in the United States has increased by an estimated 33% and 76%, respectively, compared with the same time period last year,” a CDC report said.

Most rabies cases occur after wild animal exposures. KDHE data, updated as of June, found nine positive rabies cases in Kansas, with six cases in skunks, one in a cow, one in a dog and one in a bat.

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By Morgan Chilson

HUTCHINSON — Rep. Brooklynne Mosley stepped into the Prairie Pavilion arena at the Kansas State Fair Saturday, leading a heifer around the ring while smiling broadly

Mosley, a Lawrence Democrat, had never spent time with cattle until she began working with two 4-H participants, Genayla Warnken of Manhattan and Makenzie Fishburn of Lawrence to learn about how to show a halter-broken heifer.

Mosley and four other Kansas legislators were participants in the annual Legislative Showmanship competition.

“This is the closest I’ve ever been to cattle in my whole life,” Mosley said. “I was really looking forward to doing this as something different. I had great teachers, Makenzie and then Genayla. They were really patient, and they taught me everything that I know. Literally.”

Warnken said they begin working with cows when they are young, teaching them to adjust to wearing a halter.

“That can take some time because they’re pretty stubborn,” she said. “We start getting them on a regular feed diet, and then working with their hair, which makes them look really big and fluffy.”

Fishburn said she loves being part of 4-H because the community is large and she can meet people from across the state.

Their work with Mosley paid off, as she took first place and earned a traveling trophy that will be engraved with her name. Competing against Mosley were Sen. Cindy Holscher, Rep. Mike King, Rep. Heather Meyer and Rep. Gary White. Meyer, who was also handling a cow for the first time, won second place.

Monte Ball, a third-generation rancher, and Rylee Hayes, of Jacam Catalyst, judged the event. They examined how well the legislators handled the cows and asked questions about general beef animal knowledge.

While legislators walked the heifers around the arena, Ball spoke about the event, which he said gives Kansas leaders a chance to learn about the field.

“These are exciting times in the ag industry right now, particularly in the beef industry,” he said.
“We’re experiencing record high prices. Unfortunately, we’re also experiencing record high inputs. So these are very stressful times for farmers and ranchers.

“We need our legislators to understand what the beef industry means to us and what it means to Kansas,” he added.

Ball said young 4-H members represent the future of the beef industry, and the program prepares them for the future.

“They’re learning about taking care of an animal and being responsible for that animal,” he said.

Ball described himself as a “leadership junkie,” pointing to 28 years in public education as a teacher and coach and then in his current position heading up human resources at Conklin Automotive Group.

“I thought I knew what leadership was. I thought leadership was having titles. I thought leadership was about position, having people in your charge,” he said. “What I’ve learned is leadership is a long way from that. Leadership is about doing hard things and building relationships, and getting other people to buy in and invest in the places that you want to go.”

It’s also, Ball said, about asking questions, which he encouraged from legislators at the event.

“We need to eat, and the best way for us to have a secure food source is to raise our own,” he said. “We have to do a better job in the U.S. of taking care of our farmers and ranchers because they’re the ones that are going to feed us in the future.”

After the event, Ball said the market volatility is concerning.

“You get a headline each day, the markets turn and run, so to speak,” he said. “Volatility is at an all-time high right now in a lot of markets, but the beef industry in particular is experiencing that and uncertainty.”

In January, the U.S. cattle herd was at its smallest size in about 75 years, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Ball attributed the decrease to normal cyclical changes, and also to four-plus years of drought conditions in many areas.

When prices are high, herds tend to grow in size and then as prices fall, they shrink, he said. But drought leads ranchers to make tough decisions.

“Cattlemen have had to sacrifice part of their herd in order to keep it going,” Ball said. “Drought’s been a big factor in this. It’s been a perfect storm almost.”

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By Anna Kaminksi

OLATHE — Vice President JD Vance on Monday vouched for Kansas Republicans running for the U.S. Senate and the governor’s office, bucking Democrats who want to regain control of Congress in November.

Federal and state Republicans signaled they need more Kansans on their side, encouraging the hundreds of attendees of a rally at Webco Manufacturing in Olathe “to find 10 friends” and convince them to vote Republican, or as Kansas’ GOP Party chair Danedri Herbert said it: “We need every single one of you.”

Top Kansas GOP leaders joined the vice president to campaign for U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kansas, who is running for reelection against a Democratic pastor, and state Senate President Ty Masterson, a Republican who is running for governor against fellow state Sen. Cindy Holscher, a Democrat.

Vance, surrounded by heavy machinery and sheet metal, praised Marshall’s friendship and tenure in the U.S. Senate, and cast aspersions on his opponent, the Rev. Adam Hamilton, a United Methodist pastor in the Kansas City area.

Some attendees hoped for a formal announcement of a Vance 2028 presidential run, and others came interested to hear Masterson and Marshall speak. Stan and Janette Gray, a couple from Paola, said they see Vance as a “tell it like it is” leader, and they find value in the fact that “he didn’t have a cushy life” growing up.

Vance spent the rally slamming Democrats and bolstering Republicans. He said Marshall has fought for businesses and working people and been an ally to the Trump administration.

“When the lobbyists and the special interests and the far-left lunatics come and try to fight against the people in this room, Roger Marshall has been on the right side every single time,” Vance said.

Moments later, a protester interrupted his remarks about Marshall.

“He sued his patients,” the man yelled, before being pushed out by security.

The New York Times reported last week that Marshall sued hundreds of patients in central Kansas for unpaid medical debt while he was the only available OB-GYN within a roughly 60-mile radius.

Vance carried on, touting Marshall’s support for eliminating taxes on overtime income and sponsoring legislation that would cap credit card interest fees.

“The reality is that Doc Marshall has stood up for everyday Americans every single day in the United States Senate,” Vance said.

Vance disparaged Hamilton, the leader of the largest United Methodist church in the nation, who won a 10-person Democratic primary in August and will face Marshall and a libertarian candidate, David Graham.

Vance brought up some oft-repeated soundbites from Hamilton’s old sermons that without context indicate Hamilton thinks people should repent for eating meat and that white privilege is a sin. He also condemned Hamilton’s church, Resurrection, for sponsoring a local pride festival, along with dozens of other organizations.

“In this race, we have got Dr. Roger Marshall, a proud servant of this state, and a proud Christian to boot, versus a guy who would insult your faith and spit on your religion to accrue donations to himself,” Vance said.

Glynnis Harvey, a spokesperson for the Hamilton campaign, said in a statement the church in 2025 fed more than 45,000 people in need, distributed nearly 60,000 children’s books, held blood drives, led foster care support programs and built affordable housing.

“(Hamilton) welcomes VP Vance to come visit Resurrection, instead of attacking the largest United Methodist Church in the country in an attempt to save Roger Marshall’s flailing campaign and distract from record diesel and gas prices, the war in Iran, and Roger Marshall’s usurious medical debt collection practices,” Harvey said.

Marshall, who addressed the crowd ahead of Vance, said Hamilton has “no clue” about the importance of manufacturing jobs.

“China loves him,” Marshall said, and added that Hamilton is “too woke and too weak to stand up to China.”

The rally came roughly 50 days before the November election when Marshall will compete to retain a U.S. Senate seat that’s been held by Republicans for nearly the past century. was organized by Trump’s super PAC, MAGA Inc.

Repeatedly, Republicans emphasized the high stakes of the election.

Randy Sipe, a 70-year-old retiree from Waverly, said at stake in November are the continuation of “America first” policies, immigration enforcement and the war in Iran. He said he wants to see Trump remain in Iran until the U.S. accomplishes its goal.

“You’ve got to complete the game if you’re going to win,” Sipe said.

U.S. Rep. Tracey Mann, a Republican who represents Kansas’ 1st Congressional District, offered a three-pronged focus for Kansas Republicans in the lead-up to November. Republicans across the country needed to “clearly define” what they’re running against, which he said were Democratic socialists, “tie every Democrat to this insanity,” and get out and vote.

U.S. Rep. Ron Estes, a Republican who represents Kansas’ 4th Congressional District, said he has heard throughout his time campaigning across his district this year from constituents who fear that Democrats will take back control of Congress. He encouraged the crowd to vote Republican so the country doesn’t revert “to the malaise that we were in.”

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by Sherman Smith

HUTCHINSON — Candidates for governor engaged in a veritable bare-knuckle brawl when they took the stage Saturday at the Kansas State Fair for a debate punctuated by the chants and jeers of an enthusiastic crowd of dueling supporters.

Kansas Senate President Ty Masterson, the Republican nominee, and state Sen. Cindy Holscher, the Democratic nominee, largely sidestepped pointed questions from a news media panel as they argued over who was more extreme and how to make life affordable for state residents.

The crowd that filled the Heartland Credit Union Pavilion at times drowned out the candidates. Holscher supporters carried signs that poked fun at Masterson’s “no-show” job at Wichita State University, where he was paid nearly a million dollars since 2017 as director of “GoCreate, a Koch Collaborative.” Masterson supporters waved signs that read “Cue card Cindy,” a reference to Holscher’s preference to bring notes with her on stage at the debate.

Masterson, of Andover, said he was running for governor to make sure working families can afford to live in Kansas and stop people from being taxed out of their homes.

“I will be the most pro-ag, pro-business, pro-oil and gas governor this state has ever seen,” he said. “That is how we bring opportunity to our people.”

He repeatedly defined Holscher as a socialist and the “most radical liberal progressive that’s ever been on a ticket” in Kansas.

“I am no socialist,” she responded. “But Ty keeps saying ‘socialist’ and ‘extreme.’ Do you know what’s extreme? Opposing health care when people are struggling. That’s extremist. What else is extreme? Opposing raising the minimum wage for our people while he’s collecting a million dollars from a no-show job. That’s extreme.”

Greg Akagi of WIBW 580 Radio moderated the debate with questions posted by Kansas Reflector senior reporter Tim Carpenter, KWCH-TV’s Michael Schwanke, and Gras and Grain editor and publisher Donna Sullivan.

Holcher, of Overland Park, said she was running for governor because of the affordability crisis that is hitting everywhere in the state. She said property taxes are so high because a Legislature led by Masterson keeps giving tax breaks to corporations and the wealthy. She pointed out that Masterson has led the state Senate for six years with a GOP supermajority, and she blamed him for failing to lower property taxes.

“He either doesn’t want to do this or doesn’t know how,” she said. “I will get it done.”

She also called for the state to invest more in public schools to ease the local tax burden.

“Just listen to the words coming out of her mouth,” Masterson said. “You think the answer to affordability is more government spending? You think that’s the answer? That’s the opposite of what is true. The truth of why your taxes are so high is because people like Cindy have not met one of your tax dollars she didn’t want to spend two of.”

Holscher said there was a “very big difference” between the two when it came to tax policy. Masterson, she said, favors tax breaks for his donors while she favors tax breaks for working people. She promised to invest more in communities.

Masterson at times shouted down a chorus of boos from Holscher supporters.

“You guys think you’re going to get more affordability by higher taxes?” he said. “I mean, process that through your brains.”

Abortion rights

Masterson asserted during the debate that the constitutional amendment that voters rejected in August wasn’t about abortion. The amendment would have made Kansas Supreme Court justices elected officials, and Masterson previously argued in favor of the amendment because he said it would allow the court to overturn abortion rights in Kansas.

Masterson’s additional assertion that “abortion is an 80-20 issue” was met with chants of “liar, liar” from Holscher supporters. He said people want fewer abortions, no late-term abortions and no taxpayer-funded abortions.

Holscher said Kansas voters made their position known in 2022 when they shot down a different constitutional amendment that was purely about eliminating the right to terminate a pregnancy. After that failed by a 59-41 margin, she said, Masterson decided to try again with this year’s amendment, which failed by a 61-39 margin.

“He keeps attacking reproductive health care, and that’s what he will keep doing if you elect him governor,” she said. “The attacks will be unrelenting on your rights.”

Masterson responded by accusing Holscher of supporting elitists.

“She wants the power of the smallest group of people possible,” he said.

“When did 60% become the smallest group?” Holscher answered, referring to the popular vote.

Masterson then pivoted to a new topic, accusing Holscher of wanting to allow children to undergo “transgender surgeries” without their parents’ knowledge. Her supporters booed in response.

“It’s in the record! Look it up! Look. It. Up,” Masterson shouted at the crowd, which booed louder. “This is not up for debate. It’s in the record. You’re denying the truth.”

Data centers

Holscher, who has called for a temporary moratorium on data centers, attacked Masterson for supporting for their development. She said artificial intelligence companies spent $800,000 on advertising to support Masterson during the primary.

“Ty is gonna put a data center on every corner and every cornfield,” Holscher said.

Masterson said his position on data centers had never changed, a dig at Holscher, who voted with him in favor of legislation last year that provides a tax exemption for large data center developments. He said data centers will bring property tax dollars to communities.

“Let the locals make the decision,” he said.

School vouchers

Masterson said he supports private school vouchers because it isn’t fair to leave kids in a position where their only option is a failing school.

“They’ll learn generational welfare, or they’ll learn crime pays,” he said.

Pointing at Holscher, he added: “All this is blindness to those kids that are trapped.”

Holscher highlighted his support for former Gov. Sam Brownback’s failed tax experiment and cuts to public education spending.

“I don’t know what you’d expect,” she said. “You defunded our schools to the crisis point. You’re the person who made it difficult for these children to do well.”

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By Anna Kaminski

TOPEKA — U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall said he is “frustrated” President Donald Trump is importing beef from foreign countries, sparking fear among domestic cattle producers that the action could undercut their markets.

He rationalized the president’s move, arguing imported beef is necessary to replace the Mexican cattle exports lost to screwworm infections that plagued herds earlier this year.

A Perry resident expressed nervousness during a telephone town hall Friday about selling her 25 head of cattle. She said she and her husband are self-employed, their fertilizer bill had tripled this year and their diesel prices doubled. He assured her that the cattle market is solid nonetheless.

“My point to the White House is when he does this, this sends the wrong signal to the rancher to keep his heifers rather than selling them into the market,” Marshall said.

He said he was as “frustrated as anybody” by the beef imports.

At a separate event Thursday, in one of the first public meetings between Kansas’ U.S. Senate candidates, the Republican incumbent highlighted his involvement in international trade accomplishments in the past six years and their effects on agriculture.

He said at a candidate forum in Olathe hosted by the Kansas Chamber of Commerce that in his second year in the U.S. Senate, he traveled to Mexico to help negotiate the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement on behalf of agriculture. Mexico is Kansas’ largest exporter, according to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. He visited Mexico City again in June.

“I think it’s those extra efforts where we can go forward and develop these long-term relationships,” he said Thursday. “But at the same time, you have to be tough.”

Marshall left the event that hosted all candidates for statewide office early, lingering after he finished speaking for only a few moments to hear his opponent.

In November, Marshall will face the Rev. Adam Hamilton, a United Methodist pastor in the Kansas City area whose fundraising and campaigning abilities match Marshall’s deep well of national Republican support.

The candidates received a set of questions in advance and were given the same amount of time to respond. They discussed regulation, trade, agriculture and their vision for Kansas.

Hamilton attributed some of the pains in Kansas’ agricultural sector to Trump’s tariffs and the war in Iran. Marshall, too, expressed eagerness to end the war in Iran, in alignment with Trump, but not at the expense of Iran possessing nuclear weapons. There is a place for tariffs, Hamilton said, but consistent ones.

Hamilton also pointed to immigration as a way to help increase Kansas’ population and help businesses, particularly in agriculture and the restaurant industry.

“So right now, when you travel to southeast, southwest Kansas, you’re talking to people in the meatpacking industry, the cattle industry, and they’re saying, ’40% of our workforce are immigrants, and we need them, and we care about them. These are our people,’ ” Hamilton said.

He said Kansas needs legal and safe immigration.

“Stop demonizing them,” Hamilton said. “Figure out a plan to bring immigrants in where it’s legal for them to be here, and where we can welcome them instead of having to live in fear in our businesses or our communities.”

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By Maya Smith

LAWRENCE — The U.S. Department of Justice and Department of Education announced a plan for increased enforcement measures against two Kansas school districts for their gender-inclusive policies.

In April, the department found four public school districts — Olathe, Shawnee Mission, Topeka and Kansas City, Kansas — were in violation of federal Title IX civil rights protections. Reasons included allowing students to change their name or pronouns used at school without clear communication to parents and allowing transgender students to use the restroom, locker room and changing room that aligns with their gender identity.

On Tuesday, the Education Department announced it would work alongside the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division to take “enforcement measures” against the Olathe and Shawnee Mission school districts for failing to comply with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, or FERPA.

The Education Department said that failure to comply could lead to legal action and potential loss of federal funding.

“These policies encourage schools to conceal from parents whether their child uses different pronouns and even permits schools to print a different name on students’ diplomas without parental knowledge or consent,” the release said. “Withholding such sensitive information from parents when they request their children’s records is a clear violation of FERPA.”

The Education Department issued letters Wednesday to local and state education agencies with reminders about FERPA guidelines as a new school year begins. A news release from the department said the reminder comes amid “rampant reports” of schools withholding records related to a child’s gender or gender transition from parents.

The Education Department said it proposed resolution agreements with Olathe and Shawnee Mission school districts earlier this year, and that the Shawnee Mission district never agreed to a resolution.

In a letter addressed to the Education Department’s Student Privacy Policy Office, the Shawnee Mission school district’s legal representation said the office’s findings did not violate FERPA. The letter also said the office’s findings ignored that the district requires proof of parental involvement in official student name change requests.

“Nothing about SMSD’s approach to student names, pronouns, or gender violates or even implicates FERPA,” the letter said. “SMSD has been and remains in compliance with FERPA.”

The Olathe district signed a “voluntary resolution agreement” in May outlining the district’s commitment to giving students access to gender-specific facilities “strictly on the basis of sex.” The agreement was rejected by the Education Department.

The Olathe district has said throughout the department’s investigation there have been no Title IX or FERPA violations in its schools, and outlined district communication with the department as well as any legal correspondence on its website.

“The unfortunate continuation of this drawn-out political display continues to rob time and resources from the work that matters most as a public school system: educating our children,” said a district press release. “Olathe Public Schools will continue to defend the integrity of its people and practices, and remains committed to serving students, supporting families, and complying with all applicable federal and state laws.”

The Education Department announced Tuesday that its Student Privacy Policy Office entered a resolution agreement with the Topeka school district to uphold parental rights and come into compliance with federal law.

The agreement’s guidelines include not creating gender support plans, allowing any gender support plans on file to be reviewed by parents, adding FERPA content into staff training and revoking any guidance that prevents schools from keeping parents informed about their students.

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By Morgan Chilson

TOPEKA — Kansas communities exploring data center development must put policies in place to protect residents, the environment and long-term economic growth before building begins, national experts say.

Mike Turner, a Loudoun County, Virginia, county official, learned about holding data centers accountable through “painful lessons.”

Loudoun County is often called “data center alley,” with 70% of the world’s internet traffic going through 253 data centers located there. Turner wrote a white paper about what government entities should consider before approving a data center.

“The 15 best practices are based on six factors that you have to address before we say yes to a data center: sound, power, water, emissions, setback and appearance,” he said. “Right now, if you measured, we probably don’t pass five of the six. Our new ordinances that we’re crafting and have been crafting for the last two years do address all six.”

The county’s application process is about two years long, Turner said. Ordinances are adapted over time.

For example, Turner said the county decided data centers must have Tier IV backup generators, even though Tier II are the minimum acceptable standards.

“Tier IV diesel generators, the current, highest EPA standard for diesel generators, are much quieter and filter out more than 90% of all pollutants,” Turner’s paper said.

Best practices are learned over time, and Turner travels the country sharing them with other communities.

Kathryn Kline Tyndall led a team for the Bipartisan Policy Center in Washington, D.C., holding roundtable discussions nationwide, including in Kansas City, Missouri, about data center development.

She said it is easy for communities to feel a “David and Goliath” relationship as they talk with data center developers who have experience handling negotiations.

Being prepared and taking the time to learn from other communities can make a difference. One Maryland county planned ahead, talking about power needs, possible locations and other options, before a data center approached them, she said.

Although the Bipartisan Policy Center report wasn’t meant to make policy recommendations but to gather information, she said several roundtable attendees thought technical assistance for communities from state and federal levels might be needed.

“It was proposed that a state task force group would come into communities with some expertise and more experience and knowledge and help communities negotiate these deals,” she said. “I think something like that seems like it could be worth exploring.”

Turner’s 56-page white paper, which he has been updating since July 2024, isn’t a layman’s guide to data center development. It goes in depth on energy usage and power lines and even looks at possible future industry changes that would affect operations.

Water usage

Drought conditions in Kansas, as well as declining aquifers that threaten the state’s agriculture industry, make water usage a prime concern in Kansas.

Turner said Loudoun County’s 253 data centers use about 10% of the county’s potable water.

“Water has not been an issue for us, but then virtually all of our data centers are on closed-loop water systems,” he said. “In today’s day and age, I would not approve a data center on anything other than a closed-loop water cooling system.”

Closed-loop systems are recharged every few years, and Turner said communities need to know how that works and where the water will be discharged.

“You’ve got to address wastewater with your water authority,” he said. “Wastewater, whether it’s an open loop or closed loop system, is going to contain biocides, anti-corrosion chemicals, and heavy metals, and that’s all got to be cleaned out.”

The water utility will need to understand how to treat wastewater from the data center, Turner said. In Loudoun County, the wastewater is discharged into the Potomac River, “so it’s very clean,” he said.

Increased utility usage associated with data centers also causes increased water usage tied to power generation, according to a report from the sustainability advocacy group Ceres.

The effect of power generation on water varies in each state and even down to localities, depending on whether power generation comes from natural gas, renewable energy, coal or nuclear, the report said.

“Nationally, data centers rely heavily on water-dependent electricity generation,” the Ceres report said. “Natural gas supplies 40% of their electricity, followed by renewables (24%), nuclear (20%), and coal (15%). Though there are many renewable projects in the pipeline to meet the growing energy demands (65% of renewable power purchase agreements in the U.S. signed since 2021 have been dedicated to data center operations), these options are often limited by timing or transmission and distribution issues across the grid.”

Energy usage

Utility regulators at the Kansas Corporation Commission set a large load tariff in November for big power users like data centers in an attempt to make sure infrastructure costs aren’t passed along to residential and small business consumers. While one energy expert called the tariff a “model” for other states, one conservation organization expressed caution.

In a statement, Sierra Club said it signed on as one of the convenors on the large load tariff but was concerned because Evergy, the state’s largest electric utility, is building natural gas plants and delaying coal plant retirements to meet energy demands.

Turner’s paper notes negative effects on climate sustainability goals, and he explored changes that may occur as power grids are stressed and data center companies develop new ways to cool their systems.

Objections to data centers became louder in the last few years in Loudoun County, Turner said, and he believes most of the problem is about energy usage.

In Loudoun County, PJM Interconnection — a regional transmission organization that manages power transmission needs and energy markets like the Southwest Power Pool does for Kansas and the Midwest — determined that it had underestimated five-year infrastructure needs by a factor of 10, Turner said.

“We’ve got nine overhead transmission lines under construction in Loudon County right now, and it’s not going to be enough, in my opinion,” he said.

Southwest Power Pool made a similar projection, with energy usage in its 14-state area expected to grow by 96% over the next decade.

“Generally speaking,” he said, “my rule of thumb is every data center is going to come with an overhead transmission line, at least a single 230-kV line overhead, and a substation, at least one substation, maybe two. So you need to plan on all of that.”

Energy usage affects not just a single community but an entire region, said Kansas Health Institute analyst Emma Uridge, who worked on a team to examine the environmental footprint of data centers.

The East Coast and other areas have seen power failures, she said, and it is a concern that has to be looked at from a regional and statewide perspective.

“One solution that I’m seeing to respond to this is actually legislation that’s putting some responsibility on developers to make upgrades to the grid and any related infrastructure for them to successfully kind of connect to the grid when they come online,” she said. “I’ve been seeing policy that would require on-site renewable energy.”

Noise, light pollution

Noise and light pollution are handled through design perimeters and location, Turner’s paper said, and aren’t as challenging as the utility usage issues. As part of 15 best practices for communities, he recommends requiring significant setbacks from the road, berms and tree plantings, and other tactics.

Many of those are already used in economic development, such as for manufacturing plants, said Mike Morse, partner at Kansas Commercial Real Estate Services Inc. in Topeka and a proponent of a Compass Datacenter facility trying to open southwest of the capital city.

The city of Topeka recently passed a one-year moratorium on data center development to better research the issue.

Morse said Topeka has noise standards and other criteria that any developer has to meet. Compass has already done decibel testing to see what the noise level is at the property now, knowing it would need to comply with local regulations, Morse said.

The Bipartisan Policy Center’s Tyndall said roundtable discussions talked about noise and light pollution as hyperlocal issues. Sometimes, she said, it can be more about perception of a problem. One group went to a data center and it wasn’t loud, Tyndall said.

“This really brings home an important point that it’s not really about the numbers as much as it’s about the community perception on some of these pieces,” she said, adding that it turns back to having “honest faith conversations” about community concerns and being transparent.

Transparency

One of the primary challenges is lack of data about the actual effects data centers have on the electric grid and water resources, Uridge said. The KHI report found that “current corporate emissions reporting practices present a related challenge.”

For instance, one analysis found that some data centers may emit more carbon dioxide than publicly reported, the KHI report said.

“Despite existing policy frameworks, including the U.S. Energy Act of 2020, which mandates studies on data center energy and water use and development of efficiency metrics, voluntary disclosure of energy and water use by data center operators remains inconsistent, limiting the ability of researchers, regulators and public health professionals to fully assess the sector’s environmental footprint,” the report said.

Communities can change that through their practices, Turner said. He recommends allowing no nondisclosure agreements, for instance. He helped Newcastle County, Delaware, write an ordinance for a data center that wanted to build.

“The data centers have to live by those rules,” he said. “The key is does the local governing authority have the authority to enforce these rules with new data centers, and that’s critical. There are states that are taking local authority away and making the decision at the state level. That is a huge mistake because every data center application is a unique, community-based solution.”

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By Anna Kaminski

TOPEKA — The parent company of social media platforms Facebook and Instagram agreed to one of the largest state consumer protection settlements in American history, paying $17.1 billion to most U.S. states and territories and promising to implement sweeping safety features to protect kids.

Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach said Wednesday the state’s $134 million portion of the settlement with Meta “marks a down payment on an industry-wide transformation that will finally prioritize our children’s well-being over corporate profits.”

“For too long, Meta deliberately designed Instagram and Facebook with addictive features that preyed on kids’ developing brains, exposed them to serious mental-health harms, and then misled parents about the dangers,” he said in a news release.

The settlement ended a case that 47 states, Washington, D.C., and three territories filed against Meta Platforms Inc. in 2023, arguing the social media giant designed its platforms to be addictive, knew it mentally harmed children, and misled the public about the platforms’ safety.

Meta must now roll out a list of protections, including daily time limits, mandatory pauses to reduce continuous scrolling, nighttime blocks, limited access during school hours, age verification measures, content controls, parental controls and limits on beauty filters and like counts.

Kobach said child safety on social media extends beyond one company. Meta will pay out just 70% of the settlement amount — $12.7 million — unless TikTok and Alphabet, which owns YouTube, adopt comparable measures.

The settlement’s magnitude is second only to the big tobacco settlements of the 1990s, Kobach said.

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