From outright rejections to development moratoriums, rural communities are saying 'not so fast' to big tech's expansion plans.

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Across rural Kentucky, a new kind of gold rush is unfolding- but instead of miners, it's tech companies searching for land. And instead of welcome wagons, they're increasingly finding resistance.

So far this year, three Kentucky counties have grappled with proposals to transform farmland into massive data centers. Each story has played out differently, revealing a growing tension between economic promises and community concerns about what these facilities might bring to rural life.

Counties fighting back

The quickest rejection came in Meade County, where residents showed up by the hundreds to oppose a data center planned for approximately 140 acres of farmland off Joe Prather Highway, near Brandenburg.

"I have not heard a single person in favor of this... if this passes, something is going on," one lifelong resident of Meade County said to the commission.

"We should be investing in our local folks- farmers, businesses. Once we can do that, then we can start having conversations about additional industrial zones."

The public input was loud and steadfast- they did not want the project coming to their town. And commissioners listened.

"I'm not afraid to vote against the opposition if the opposition is being close-minded about something, but these people had legitimate concerns," Tim LaTondress, a member of the Planning and Zoning Commission, said after the meeting.

The commission voted unanimously against the rezoning at a special meeting last month, and the fiscal court finalized the decision, effectively killing the deal.

Oldham County took a different route. After a $6 billion project was proposed for 267 acres of farmland, local opposition mounted quickly. The developer eventually pulled out, and in July, county leaders passed a 150-day moratorium on all data center development during a special meeting- essentially hitting the pause button on the entire industry.

But in Mason County, the story is still unfolding, shrouded in an unusual level of secrecy that has residents like Max Moran deeply concerned.

Max Moran, lifelong Mason County resident