Data Centers: Daily Notes | August 18, 2026

Spartanburg County, South Carolina

Spartanburg County, South Carolina Council unanimously delayed a final vote on a proposed 12-month data center moratorium at its Aug. 17 meeting, pushing the decision to Sept. 21 to allow for an additional public input session.

Spartanburg County delays vote on data center moratorium

Two people removed from meeting as council pushes final vote to September.

Fox CarolinaAshley Listrom

Council Member Monier Abusaft, who proposed the delay, said many residents want a broader moratorium and the council wants to understand that reasoning before finalizing the ordinance's scope. If eventually approved, the moratorium wouldn't affect the $2.8 billion NorthMark data center already under construction on Pine Street, but would pause approval of new or pending data center proposals countywide while staff and the Planning Commission study where such facilities should be allowed. Council can still deny applications while the ordinance remains pending, Abusaft said.

The delay follows sustained local opposition, including protest signs at the meeting and a lawsuit alleging the county didn't follow its own land use rules in permitting NorthMark, which is expected to use about 2% of the water system's average daily demand and generate more than 450 megawatts of power via on-site natural gas turbines.

St. Joseph, Missouri

The St. Joseph, Missouri City Council voted down a resolution to create a citizens data center advisory committee Monday, failing 3-6, after several residents spoke in favor of the panel and asked to be considered for seats on it.

St. Joseph City Council rejects data center advisory committee

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (KQTV) -- The St. Joseph City Council voted 3-6 on a resolution to establish a Citizens Data Center Advisory Committee Monday evening.

KQ2 | St. Joseph, Missouri News, Weather & SportsTaMya Bracy

Council members Collin Clibon, Russell Moore and Gary Wilkinson voted for the committee, which would have provided feedback and recommendations to the Planning and Zoning Commission and City Council as data center proposals move forward, while Mayor Larry Miller and council members Madison Davis, Jason Eslinger, Marty Novak, Randy Schultz and Andrew Trout opposed it, arguing existing committees already handle these kinds of discussions. Resident Penny Adams said she remains undecided on data centers but wanted a forum to better understand the pros and cons. The next City Council meeting is scheduled for Monday, Aug. 31.

Alamance County, North Carolina

Alamance County, North Carolina commissioners voted unanimously to enact a one-year moratorium on data center development following an Aug. 17 public hearing that ran over two hours, with more than 23 residents speaking in favor of the pause.

County Attorney Rik Stevens described the moratorium as a way to give the county time to research data centers and their potential local effects. Commissioner Samuel Powell said he supported the pause until officials can determine what protections are needed to avoid ending up with an unsuitable project. The moratorium includes built-in deadlines to ensure research progresses, and requires commissioners to meet at least 30 days before it expires in August 2027 to decide whether to let it lapse or extend it.The commissioners' next business meeting is scheduled for Sept. 21.

Protect Alamance County’s Water: Ask for a Two Year Data Center Moratorium, Monday, August 17, 7:00 p.m. — Haw River Assembly

A county that does not yet know where its groundwater is contaminated is not in a position to permit a facility that uses millions of gallons a day. We give you the tools to speak out at the upcoming public hearing.

Haw River AssemblyHaw River Assembly

Caddo Parish, Louisiana

Caddo Parish Commissioner John Paul Young pushed for a resolution establishing a two-year moratorium on tax incentives for future data center projects, a proposal discussed at Monday's work session and sent to the special projects committee.

The moratorium would block tax benefits, including the state-authorized 0% sales tax rate, for any new data center or expansion of an existing one, meaning new projects would pay standard property tax rates instead. Parish Attorney Donna Frazier said a moratorium can't legally be enacted through a resolution under the parish charter, and that an ordinance regulating land use also can't move forward without a master plan already in place, since doing so would violate Louisiana's constitution and state statutes. She said establishing a master plan is the proper path forward. Young said he wants more rules given how many unanswered questions remain about data center projects, calling a pause a wise step given the growing uncertainty.

Commissioner Ken Epperson separately proposed a resolution requiring developers to conduct environmental studies on current Caddo Parish data center projects, which was also referred to the special projects committee. Some residents were escorted out of the meeting by Commissioner Greg Young for disrupting proceedings.

Harrington, Delaware

Harrington's City Council unanimously rejected an ordinance Monday night that would have allowed data centers as a conditional use in the city's manufacturing zone, following nearly an hour of public comment from residents opposed to the measure.

The proposal wouldn't have approved any specific data center, but would have let future projects move through the city's conditional-use process. Resident and former planning commission member Barbara Bullock said neighbors were worried about adding pressure to what she called already outdated water, sewer and electrical infrastructure. Longtime resident Bill Brode raised concerns about constant humming noise and water supply demands he'd read data centers typically bring.

Vice Mayor Darrin Simpson said the council's unanimous vote reflected what members believed was in residents' best interest. Opponents said they were pleased with the outcome, and council members encouraged residents to keep attending meetings and voicing concerns, with Simpson noting the council maintains an open-door policy and publicly available contact information.

Social Listening 🎧: Podcast

Policy talk doesn’t just happen in the news cycle—it can also live in long-form audio. Strisker’s Podcast Signal turns hours of episodes into actionable insight, indexing transcripts so you can surface key mentions of STRs, data centers, ordinances, and local decision-makers in seconds.

Create Your Watchlist - 14 Day Free Trial

Hanford, California

The City of Hanford, California issued a statement Aug. 15 opposing data center facilities proposed within or adjacent to the community without meaningful local review, public input, environmental analysis, and enforceable resident protections, despite no specific data center project currently pending before the city.

City of Hanford Public Statement Regarding Data Centers

The City of Hanford opposes data center facilities proposed within or adjacent to the community without meaningful local review, public participation, environmental analysis, and enforceable protectio

HomepageGovernment Websites by CivicPlus®

City Manager Chris Tavarez said residents deserve a meaningful voice in decisions that could shape their neighborhoods and public services for decades, and that data center proposals should be evaluated openly with full consideration of their costs and risks. Hanford's General Plan and Zoning Ordinance currently prohibit data centers, and the city said it isn't considering changing that restriction. The statement also flagged concern that sovereign immunity could shield a privately developed data center from city land use, building and environmental review if it were sited on land owned by another public agency, arguing that public ownership shouldn't exempt a project from community scrutiny.

The statement is described as general city policy rather than a response to any specific proposal, and Hanford's Community Development staff were set to present more detail on the city's land use authority over data centers at the Aug. 18 City Council meeting.

North Mankato, Minnesota

The North Mankato, Minnesota City Council continued refining a proposed moratorium on large-scale data centers at Monday's work session, discussing thresholds that would cap the pause at facilities larger than 150,000 square feet or using more than 50,000 gallons of water daily.

No formal action was taken; a second public hearing and council vote are still to come. The discussion follows an Aug. 3 meeting where council tabled an interim ordinance after about 40 minutes of testimony, with nearly every speaker supporting a temporary pause. City Attorney Chris Kennedy said the city's zoning ordinance doesn't currently address data centers at all, and the moratorium is meant to give officials time to define and regulate them properly. Finance Director Jessica Ryan said a proposed data center study isn't included in the 2027 budget and could significantly affect levy planning, with City Administrator Kevin McCann noting an outside consultant could cost roughly six figures since city staff lack the resources to conduct the study themselves.

Data Centers | Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy

Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy

Elkhart County, IN

Elkhart, Indiana City Council held the first reading Monday of a proposed moratorium on data centers and battery energy storage facilities, with a public comment period and vote scheduled for a special meeting Aug. 27.

Mayor Rod Roberson proposed the temporary pause after council members agreed the city needs more time to study the projects' impact and establish regulations before moving forward. Councilman Aaron Mishler said the city currently has no process for public hearings or elected official input if a data center developer sought to buy up and demolish existing factories to build on the site, which the moratorium aims to prevent. Roberson said no formal application has been submitted, though a few consultants have inquired about potential projects, all of which would be blocked from proceeding under the moratorium.

If approved, the moratorium would stop the city from accepting or processing new applications until Elkhart completes its review and the council lifts it, or until Dec. 31, 2027, whichever comes first.

El Paso, Texas

El Paso County Commissioners Court approved a resolution Monday and sent Gov. Greg Abbott a letter seeking expanded state protections around data center development, asking specifically whether recent state safeguards apply to the region.

Data Centers

Resources and information on data centers located in the City of El Paso.

City of El Paso TexasCity of El Paso

The county's request stems from El Paso's exclusion from ERCOT, the state's primary power grid; Abbott had directed ERCOT and the Public Utility Commission of Texas to audit data centers seeking grid connections, but that directive doesn't cover El Paso, prompting commissioners to ask that similar protections be extended locally. The resolution also calls for a pause on new data center development until concerns over water use, electricity costs, infrastructure and environmental impact are addressed, and asks Abbott to consider calling a special legislative session on the issue.

Commissioners' resolution seeks greater transparency around data centers' water and electricity use, protections against shifting infrastructure costs onto taxpayers, water conservation requirements, and expanded county authority to regulate large developments.

Greensboro, North Carolina

Greensboro, North Carolina residents packed a public hearing to voice concerns after City Council voted to enact a 120-day moratorium on new data centers, with many pushing for the pause to be extended dramatically.

Multiple speakers held signs reading "32," calling for the moratorium to be extended to 32 months instead of 120 days to allow time for environmental impact studies and public input, with one resident arguing that timeframe was needed to satisfy community demands for meaningful participation. Other speakers expressed frustration over the pace of the process, with one saying "we don't want your excuses, we want results," while another said existing concerns about data centers are "already killing us."

City Manager Trey Davis said the council is working to fully understand the potential benefits and drawbacks of data centers, and that officials met with an outside expert last month to learn more about the issue. Data centers are not on the agenda for the council's next meeting Tuesday.

📱 Social Buzz

👍 We’d love your feedback.
Which stories hit? Which ones missed?

We're exploring a new branch of topics centered around Data Centers and want to make it even more useful for you.

✉️ Just reply directly to this email. We read and respond to every message!

-Will McClure
🙋 P.S.
Know someone else who should be reading Daily Notes? Feel free to forward this along. We’re opening a few more spots.