Mandan Data center pushback

[Obi-Wan]

Right, that is the correct way to prevent this. But just saying "me no want" is not effective, not effective at all.

whether or not true, I heard that the commissioners for Oliver County signed NDA's with the Data Center company and then voted to approve the zoning change against the wishes of many of the residents for the one going up W of Center ND

 

[Duckslayer100]

so many emotional responses when it comes to datacenters. That piece of land in mandan is pretty big, it wont all be industrial buildings, likely they bought enough land intentionally to provide a buffer to reduce sound pollution to neighboring residents. They could easily require them to plant enough trees etc to make it aesthetically pleasing for residents, or even maintain/donate part of the grounds as park/natural areas for people to enjoy.

I think where the emotion comes in is how exceedingly and uniquely FAST these data centers occur. They are massive, multi-billion-dollar projects that, in the construction world, move at lightning speed.

The one in Harwood is a good example. We heard about it publicly in, what, June/July of last year? And they were breaking ground already in September! That's the part that is crazy. There were LOADS of closed-door meetings to line everything up, and by the time we the public hear about it, it's too late. There was no stopping it. The public comment period was a joke. It was signed, sealed and delivered.

In the meantime, there are giant milking operations proposed in Hillsboro and Wahpeton that have been talked about for over two years at this point, and are STILL going through permitting and whatnot to start construction.

Whether you like data centers or hate them, you can't deny that they embody the definition of being "rammed down your throat" when compared to other similar projects.

And until we have a real say in it, and signed certainty (as in a signed contract) stating we will NOT be impacted with increased utility bills, etc., I will remain highly, highly skeptical.

 

[ndlongshot]

Whos the end customer? It has to be the government. I hope you all love a surveillance state.

There is no way the private sector is funding this amount of capital infrastructure with no obvious customer base.

 

[Jiffy]

Elon himself is the main one funding the debacle/eyesore down in E-town.

He’s been in town a couple times.

Or so I’ve heard. I’d say he probably could swing it if he wanted

 

[Wally World]

Elon himself is the main one funding the debacle/eyesore down in E-town.

He’s been in town a couple times.

Or so I’ve heard. I’d say he probably could swing it if he wanted

The proposed data center project near Mandan, North Dakota, is being driven by the developer Sagebrush Infrastructure Partners LLC, which secured exclusive options to buy land from three local property owners. In June 2026, the Israeli energy firm Stark Power Ltd. (traded on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange) reached a definitive agreement to outright buy Sagebrush Infrastructure Partners. [1]

Project Details

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• • Current Status: The land deals are currently option agreements (giving the developer exclusive rights to purchase the land within a year, with options to extend), and a formal application has not yet been filed with the city. [1, 2]
  • Local Regulation: The proposed site falls within Mandan's extraterritorial jurisdiction, and city officials have scheduled a public hearing for August 24, 2026, to discuss stricter acoustic, environmental, and zoning rules for data center developments. [1, 2, 3]
  • Scope: Sagebrush has been working on multiple large data center campuses across the central U.S. tied to on-site natural gas power generation
  *** While 60-70 Billion dollars and much of our military armament has been going straight to Isreal to fight their enemies, the Zionists are repaying us with numerous hyperscale data centers which 70% of the people do NOT want. Wonder how much they had to pay out for grease money?

 

[Lycanthrope]

I think where the emotion comes in is how exceedingly and uniquely FAST these data centers occur. They are massive, multi-billion-dollar projects that, in the construction world, move at lightning speed.

The one in Harwood is a good example. We heard about it publicly in, what, June/July of last year? And they were breaking ground already in September! That's the part that is crazy. There were LOADS of closed-door meetings to line everything up, and by the time we the public hear about it, it's too late. There was no stopping it. The public comment period was a joke. It was signed, sealed and delivered.

In the meantime, there are giant milking operations proposed in Hillsboro and Wahpeton that have been talked about for over two years at this point, and are STILL going through permitting and whatnot to start construction.

Whether you like data centers or hate them, you can't deny that they embody the definition of being "rammed down your throat" when compared to other similar projects.

And until we have a real say in it, and signed certainty (as in a signed contract) stating we will NOT be impacted with increased utility bills, etc., I will remain highly, highly skeptical.

AI companies have massive amounts of money to spend right now, because our economy is crap and much of the capitol is betting hard on AI right now. Also with the speed its developing, they cant afford to wait months, let alone years to build. Im guessing those dairy operations dont have billions to spend... The communities that are locking out datacenters are just hurting themselves in the long run, because they bring massive capitol and investment with them. It amazes me that people who willingly or even enthusiastically took experimental vaccinations just a few years ago are now freaking out about a company building a building in their community, which will have massive upsides to offset the likely minor negatives.

 

[Lycanthrope]

Whos the end customer? It has to be the government. I hope you all love a surveillance state.

There is no way the private sector is funding this amount of capital infrastructure with no obvious customer base.

 

[ndlongshot]

Seems like a front to me. Its all govt back door to your data. All of it. Just like flock cameras. Its all intertwined. Every keystroke you make or page you read, including this, will be saved and searchable long past the time your gone. They will also project crimes you may or may not, likely or not to commit in the future. Will help squash the next rebellion real quick! As we all said. Covid was a test run. Exposed total controls weakness’. And here we are….

These ai models will tell you with accuracy who you will become twenty years from now. With or without your approval.

 

[jake57]

I have a question, with the massive amounts of tax revenue that is beening proposed for Mandan , Morton Co. Mandan Schools and Parks, why isn't Sioux Co. proposing land spots to build this data-center. We all know they don't have very many businesses to produce much tax base. Why build soooo close to schools and residential

 

[SupressYourself]

... which will have massive upsides to offset the likely minor negatives.

So how much money do you have in AI stocks anyway?

 

[Browneye]

There is so many things that don't stand up to much scrutiny, thus the mad rush to get them done before people find out what they are really for. After covid we were told how the commercial rental building market was collapsing do to many jobs moved some times permantly remotely. They claim vast swaths of empty commercial/warehouse buildings all sitting empty in the biggest cities. Would make sense to me that these would be a much better place put them since they tell us there is no downside to being near one, noise and what not. We lose way to much agricultural rural land every year to urban sprawl getting covered with asphalt and cement. But no they tell us that valuable land that feeds us is the perfect spot to put these surveilence centers. And don't kid yourself thats what they are for not so you can have faster internet.

 

[Browneye]

Wouldn't you think the bigger cities would also love to get this windfall of tax revenues they tell us we are going to get. Nice of them to leave it all for us.

 

[Fly Carpin]

AI companies have massive amounts of money to spend right now, because our economy is crap and much of the capitol is betting hard on AI right now. Also with the speed its developing, they cant afford to wait months, let alone years to build. Im guessing those dairy operations dont have billions to spend... The communities that are locking out datacenters are just hurting themselves in the long run, because they bring massive capitol and investment with them. It amazes me that people who willingly or even enthusiastically took experimental vaccinations just a few years ago are now freaking out about a company building a building in their community, which will have massive upsides to offset the likely minor negatives.

"much of the capitol is betting hard on AI right now" Actually, according to S&P, The percentage of companies abandoning the majority of their AI initiatives before they reach production has surged from 17% to 42% year over year, with organizations on average reporting that 46% of projects are scrapped between proof of concept and broad adoption.

"they cant afford to wait months, let alone years to build. Im guessing those dairy operations dont have billions to spend" So the regulatory processes we the people must abide by in order to develop projects responsibly and within the rule of law do not apply to these companies? Conservatism applies to more than just money and social issues. Conservative development is also a thing that we used to believe.

"The communities that are locking out datacenters are just hurting themselves in the long run, because they bring massive capitol and investment with them" Head up to Williston and ask the neighbors of the Atlas Power data center how that's working out. Even the huge data center campuses are staffed by 50 to 200 people tops after construction. I'd hardly call that massive. Also, billionaire oligarchs do not give a fuck about communities. Otherwise they'd do the right thing and not build them on ag land.

"It amazes me that people who willingly or even enthusiastically took experimental vaccinations just a few years ago are now freaking out about a company building a building in their community" What in the non sequitur logical fallacy does this even mean? We are not talking about Running's coming to Beulah or a new cafe in Manvel. You know exactly what these data centers do and why people hate them. Come on. You're better than this.

At the end of the day, AI makes us as a society dumber by removing the desire to learn. It steals the hard work and creativity of others. I will never go full ludite and say that there is no place for automation in the world. There absolutely is. But to be an unpaid torch bearer for these people who are actively trying to kill the middle class through automation is fuckin' bananas.

 

[Lycanthrope]

"much of the capitol is betting hard on AI right now" Actually, according to S&P, The percentage of companies abandoning the majority of their AI initiatives before they reach production has surged from 17% to 42% year over year, with organizations on average reporting that 46% of projects are scrapped between proof of concept and broad adoption.

"they cant afford to wait months, let alone years to build. Im guessing those dairy operations dont have billions to spend" So the regulatory processes we the people must abide by in order to develop projects responsibly and within the rule of law do not apply to these companies? Conservatism applies to more than just money and social issues. Conservative development is also a thing that we used to believe.

"The communities that are locking out datacenters are just hurting themselves in the long run, because they bring massive capitol and investment with them" Head up to Williston and ask the neighbors of the Atlas Power data center how that's working out. Even the huge data center campuses are staffed by 50 to 200 people tops after construction. I'd hardly call that massive. Also, billionaire oligarchs do not give a fuck about communities. Otherwise they'd do the right thing and not build them on ag land.

"It amazes me that people who willingly or even enthusiastically took experimental vaccinations just a few years ago are now freaking out about a company building a building in their community" What in the non sequitur logical fallacy does this even mean? We are not talking about Running's coming to Beulah or a new cafe in Manvel. You know exactly what these data centers do and why people hate them. Come on. You're better than this.

At the end of the day, AI makes us as a society dumber by removing the desire to learn. It steals the hard work and creativity of others. I will never go full ludite and say that there is no place for automation in the world. There absolutely is. But to be an unpaid torch bearer for these people who are actively trying to kill the middle class through automation is fuckin' bananas.

Where are you going to find 200 to 1000 acres in one chunk of non ag land in ND near a community large enough to house this type of build? I totally understand why people dont like whats going on, but largely I think its because they dont understand the upsides of AI in our future and they are scared of losing jobs or they are misinformed, which is probably at least 50% of the people freaking out right now. Have you noticed on facebook how the majority of people posting anti ai stuff and comments are women? Do you think thats a coincidence?