Protesters will gather on the Wyoming Capitol steps Saturday as Cheyenne joins a nationwide day of demonstrations opposing the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence data centers.
“We’re just being inundated by them,” said M. Lee Hasenauer, a 37-year Cheyenne resident and candidate for Laramie County commissioner.
The Cheyenne rally, planned for 1 p.m., is one of more than 120 protests planned in 41 states, according to Humans First, the conservative advocacy organization behind the nationwide event. More than 50 cities are participating. Cheyenne is the only Wyoming community hosting an organized event.
The group says the demonstrations are being planned because local communities should have greater control over where massive AI data centers are built.
The organization says the protests are intended to "call on local, state and federal politicians to protect our hometowns, our wallets and our way of life."
As artificial intelligence fuels unprecedented demand for computing power, communities across the country are increasingly pushing back against the large facilities needed to support it.
Opponents cite concerns ranging from increased electricity demand and water consumption to traffic, noise, environmental impacts and declining property values. Supporters counter that the facilities are essential to keeping the United States competitive in the global AI race while bringing investment and jobs.
The debate has become particularly heated in Cheyenne, where Microsoft is pursuing multiple data center developments.
Petition Drive Planned
Organizers plan to use Saturday’s rally to launch a petition drive aimed at overturning recent City Council actions on roughly 3,200 acres slated for Microsoft data center development.
They intend to begin collecting signatures Sunday.
The petition seeks to block annexation and rezoning of the land. Organizers have 20 days to gather 3,000 signatures to force a repeal vote.
Organizers will have 20 days to gather the required 3,000 signatures to move forward with a measure to repeal. Hasenauer said he also hopes the signatures would be enough to put the repeal up for a vote by Laramie County residents.
"Our goal is going to be to turn in 5,000 to 6,000 signatures," Hasenauer told Cowboy State Daily.
Saturday’s protest will be an opportunity to spread the word about the petition, he said, but it will also give disgruntled residents a voice.
"What we'll be doing at the rally is giving people who are so angry a chance to hold up signs and say no to data centers," he said.
Hasenauer argued that major annexation decisions should be decided by voters rather than elected officials.
"I want the will of the people," he said.
Dr. Taylor Haynes, a Cheyenne urologist who unsuccessfully sought the Republican nomination for governor in 2018, is scheduled to deliver the keynote address. He did not return Cowboy State Daily's call before publication.
National Pushback Growing
Saturday's demonstrations come as opposition to hyperscale data centers expands well beyond Wyoming.
Earlier this week, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced what state officials described as the nation's first statewide pause on new hyperscale data center approvals. The pause is meant to allow time for regulators to study data centers’ impacts on electric infrastructure, environmental resources and consumer utility costs.
The move drew sharp criticism from Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon, who argued in a Cowboy State Daily guest column Thursday that Wyoming should embrace technological growth rather than slow it.
Quoting a saying he attributed to his great-uncle, Gen. George Patton – "Lead, follow, or get out of the way" – Gordon called New York's decision "political faintheartedness."
"America has had enough of 'Build Absolutely Nothing Near Anybody' dogma," Gordon wrote.
Rather than imposing a moratorium, Gordon has argued Wyoming should continue welcoming data center investment while ensuring projects comply with the state's existing laws and regulations.
“Right now, we have far too much wringing of hands, saying no to almost everything, and not enough leading,” he wrote.
Different Visions For Wyoming
Hasenauer rejects the notion that opposition to data centers is resistance to progress.
"Protests are driven by common sense," he said, arguing that local officials have stopped listening to residents.
He suggested the industry should pay additional taxes – 15% of all profits – to help fund local infrastructure and emergency services.
Modern-Day Luddites
Cowboy State Daily political columnist Rod Miller sees the debate differently.
In a column published in Cowboy State Daily Friday, Miller described data center opponents as modern-day Luddites.
He said he saw a news piece about the national protest online but was not aware that Cheyenne had a place in the national event.
He said he doesn’t have a feel for the traction a protest against data centers could get nationally, but in Wyoming, people are resistant to change.
“That’s Wyoming,” he said. “We resist new things.”
In his column, Miller argued that Wyoming has repeatedly benefited from embracing major industrial development while insisting it occur on the state's terms.
He pointed to former Gov. Ed Herschler's "Growth, on our terms" philosophy during Wyoming's energy boom in the 1970s. Miller worked for Herschler for nearly a decade.
"It seems like every new advance in human technology is met with fear, trepidation and pearl-clutching skepticism," Miller wrote.
Still, Miller said legitimate questions remain about how data centers affect Wyoming's electrical grid and water resources.
"We don't want Wyoming ratepayers subsidizing Mark Zuckerberg," Miller told Cowboy State Daily. "We want it to go the other way."
If data centers can pay their own way, comply with Wyoming's water laws and avoid shifting costs onto residents, Miller said, "I've got no problem with them."
"Box Of Rocks"
Miller laughed heartily when told Hasenauer was one of the chief organizers of the event.
"He's dumber than a box of rocks," Miller said.
"I wasn't going to go but maybe I will now," he said, while laughing.
State Rep. Landon Brown (R-Cheyenne) said Hasenaeur's involvement in the protest damages the credibility of the event.
"I think having him as the point person is not a good look for the valid concerns that citizens have with data centers and I think it takes away from the credibility of the effort in general," Brown said.
"I think the voices of Laramie County would be better served with a more rational voice on these matters," he added.
For protesters gathering Saturday in Cheyenne, the immediate goal is less about shaping national AI policy than influencing the future of their own community.
Texas has the most protests planned as part of the national event, with 17. Three protests are planned in Colorado, with two in Montana, two in Nebraska and one in Utah.
Kate Meadows can be reached at kate@cowboystatedaily.com.
