Data Center Oppponents Call Centers “Digital Prison,” Launch Petition

A group that appeared to number around 50-60 people braved the Summer heat on Saturday afternoon at the Wyoming Capitol Building to voice opposition to data centers in Wyoming.

Taylor Haynes: "Data Centers Are A Digital Prison"

One of the featured speakers was long-time conservative activist and former Wyoming Gubernatorial candidate Taylor Haynes. He told Townsquare Media that the data centers are ''a digital prison. They know everything about us, and now they want to be able to process our personal data even faster.to control our lives even more.''

Haynes said his other big concern is land use. "If you cover the country with data centers, you are killing agriculture in the United States. I mean, we know that. Why are we doing that? We already have 45 percent of the data centers in the world in the United States. I don't think we need more. They haven't connected the dots for me for why we need this much more. I don't believe it. I believe there is a more sinister plot going on.''

He went on to say, "I have my tin hat on. I think it's about total control." He went on to disparage the idea that the U.S needs data centers to compete with China. ''What does a data center in Laramie County have to do with China?"

Haynes called data centers "a blight."

Haynes said his preference would be to ban new data centers in Wyoming and close any that have any documented health or environmental violations.

While many data center opponents cite water and electricity consumption as their concerns, Haynes said those aren't the issues that most concern him.

Former Commissioner and Current Candidate Discusses Petition Drive

Meanwhile, former Laramie County Commissioner and current candidate M. Lee Hasenauer is urging people to sign a petition to try to reverse a recent Cheyenne City Council decision.

Hasenauer served on the commission from 2012 through 2014 before losing a re-election bid. But this year he is attempting a political comeback as one of several candidates running in the Aug. 18 GOP primary for the Laramie County Commission

The Cheyenne City Council recently voted to annex 3,200 acres for a Microsoft data center. But Hasenauer said the petition will seek to gather at least 3,000 registered voters' signatures to force the council to either rescind that decision or put the issue before voters.

Hasenauer says the drive will let the voters decide "instead of 12 people in a room. We have until August 7 to get 3,000 good signatures that are legible.' But he adds 'our goal is going to be 7,000 voters."

Hasenauer says the petition will be circulated throughout Cheyenne in an effort to get the required number of signatures.