Data Centers: Daily Notes | July 21, 2026

Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania lawmakers passed only one data center measure as part of this month's $50.8 billion budget deal, requiring facilities using more than 10 megawatts annually to disclose their energy and water usage, while leaving in place a sales tax exemption projected to cost the state $2 billion by mid-2031.

NEWS: PA House Passes Legislation to Codify Gov Shapiro’s GRID Standards

NEWS: PA House Passes Legislation to Codify Gov Shapiro’s GRID Standards

Commonwealth of Pennsylvania | Home

The transparency requirement passed despite a wave of other bills introduced this session, including measures to bar data center developers from opportunity zone tax breaks and to let local governments impose temporary development pauses, none of which reached the governor's desk. House Majority Leader Matt Bradford blamed Senate Majority Leader Joe Pittman for declining to move data center regulation forward, while a spokesperson for Gov. Josh Shapiro said Senate Republicans failed to act on Shapiro's plan tying the state's data center tax credit to stronger environmental and transparency standards.

PA added just one regulation for data centers in budget

The one data center regulation in PA’s 2026 budget is an energy reporting requirement. Environmentalists say it’s not substantive.

Spotlight PAKate Huangpu

Spokane County, Washington

Spokane County Commissioners Chris Jordan and Amber Waldref announced Monday plans to propose a nine-month moratorium on new county building permits for data centers, covering unincorporated Spokane County and set to expire shortly after the 2027 Washington legislative session ends.

The proposal follows community concern after utility provider Avista said it was considering a large-load data center project and later paused processing energy requests for a proposed 500-megawatt facility, a demand roughly equal to half the county's existing energy consumption.

The moratorium would give county staff time to evaluate economic impacts, assess whether current policies adequately protect natural resources, ratepayers and neighborhoods, coordinate with local power and water providers, and adjust to any new state legislation passed in 2027. Staff would also be directed to draft local rules defining data centers in county code and addressing zoning, power and water issues, and citizen participation in permitting decisions.

El Paso, Texas

El Paso City Council approved a Data Center Policy Framework for evaluating future hyperscale data center proposals, the result of nearly six months of research, public engagement and coordination with regional partners.

The process gathered more than 2,300 public comments, 274 online survey responses and 162 comments submitted during review of the draft framework. Under the new policy, future hyperscale projects would need to obtain a Special Permit requiring public notice, City Plan Commission review, a public hearing and final City Council action. The framework also sets enhanced environmental standards on water use, energy demand, wastewater, noise, lighting and ecological impacts, eliminates local economic incentives for future hyperscale projects consistent with prior council direction, and encourages Community Benefit Agreements tied to measurable local investments.

Data Centers

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

City of El Paso TexasCity of El Paso

City Manager Dionne Mack said the framework establishes clear expectations for future projects while strengthening environmental protections, accountability and public participation, and gives the city a roadmap to keep adapting its policies as technology and community priorities evolve. Implementation will move forward through future ordinance amendments and policy updates that will return to council for further consideration, and the framework also expands the city's state and federal advocacy around utility ratepayer protections and large-load facility impacts.

Dalton, Georgia

A group of Dalton and Whitfield County residents are organizing to push for a moratorium on future data center development, after third-party mapping showed Dalton has the highest number of documented data centers in the region.

US Data Center Map: 4,800 Facilities Tracked

Interactive map tracking 4,800 US data center facilities: capacity, pipeline status, climate risk, water stress, and energy mix.

US Data Center Map

Quentin Postell, a candidate for Georgia State House District 4 who is helping organize the group, said residents want to prevent additional data centers from being approved after an AI center was already built in the city, and are planning to protest to make their concerns heard.

Dalton residents push for moratorium against future development of data centers

A group of Whitfield County and Dalton residents are pushing back against data center development in the area.That’s as third-party mapping shows Dalton has the

WTVCKatie Glanton

Neighboring Walker County and the City of Calhoun have already adopted data center moratoriums, but Whitfield County and Dalton currently have no formal policy. County Administrator Bob Sivick said the board could pursue a moratorium but doesn't see a need to, since no new data center projects are currently in the works and existing facilities haven't caused problems during construction or operation.

Rockford, Illinois

Rockford officials proposed a moratorium on new data center development Monday, with Alderman Jonathan Logemann referring a resolution to City Council, backed by Mayor Tom McNamara, directing staff to conduct a comprehensive review of potential data center regulations.

The city said the review would establish clear expectations for future proposals while honoring existing annexation agreements already approved under law. The measure heads to the council's Code and Regulation Committee next week for further discussion. The move follows months of debate over a possible Monarch Energy data center project on land within the proposed South Rockford Industrial Tax Increment Financing district; officials have repeatedly noted no formal proposal has been submitted, and any future project would require public hearings and multiple rounds of city review.

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Lakeland, Florida

Lakeland city commissioners approved a proposed one-year data center moratorium on first reading Monday, moving the city closer to pausing new large-scale data center applications while officials develop long-term regulations.

Commissioner Guy Lalonde said the pause gives the city 12 months to get its policies right, and Mayor Sara Roberts McCarley noted the review carries extra weight since Lakeland owns and operates its own utility, Lakeland Electric, giving officials direct control over electric planning. Lakeland Electric's Scott Bishop endorsed the pause, calling it the right move given how unprecedented the industry's growth has been nationally. Commissioner Ashley Troutman suggested broadening the ordinance to cover all high-utility-demand facilities rather than singling out data centers specifically.

The proposal follows months of opposition to Project Swan, a data center planned near Old Tampa Highway and Wilkinson Road that has since been paused. Residents Kelly Quinn and Sam Romain both told commissioners that supporting safeguards isn't the same as opposing growth or technology. Lakeland joins Pasco County, which approved a similar moratorium last week, with North Port and Pinellas Park expected to take up their own proposals soon; Fort Meade remains the only area community to approve a hyperscale AI data center so far, a decision that has since triggered a recall effort against three city commissioners. Lakeland's moratorium requires a second and final reading, scheduled for Aug. 3.

Loudoun County, Virginia

Loudoun County asked state regulators Monday to suspend their final order approving a Dominion Energy transmission line route through Ashburn and Sterling, revealing that settlement talks with Dominion and Loudoun County Public Schools have made "meaningful progress."

The consent motion, filed with Dominion's and the school system's agreement, came just hours before the State Corporation Commission's jurisdiction over the case was set to lapse 21 days after its June 29 final order approving the Golden-Mars line along Route 3A. County spokesperson Glen Barbour said the county remains optimistic a mutually agreed route can still be reached through continued discussions among stakeholders. A joint meeting of the Board of Supervisors and school board is scheduled for July 29 to address route selection, with Dominion required to report the outcome to the commission within 10 business days.

Eugene, Oregon

An unidentified buyer with the former Hynix semiconductor plant "under contract" has asked Eugene to confirm that a data center is a permitted use on the 200-acre west Eugene site, signaling possible redevelopment of the long-dormant factory.

Eugene asked to confirm if data center allowed at former Hynix site

A lawyer working for an unidentified client wants confirmation that a data center or other technology uses fit zoning rules.

Lookout Eugene-SpringfieldGrace Chinowsky

Land-use attorney Bill Kloos filed the zone verification request July 14, seeking confirmation that a data center, along with manufacturing, research and development, warehousing and office uses, would be allowed under the property's E-1 Campus Employment zoning. The 1.2 million-square-foot plant closed in 2008 after Hynix's departure cost 1,400 jobs, and has since passed through several owners, Avago, Corning and current owner Stratacache, none of which successfully redeveloped it; Stratacache appears to be in financial distress and has recently sold properties, laid off workers and liquidated subsidiaries.

The city has not yet responded and said there's no deadline to do so, though staff try to reply in a timely manner depending on the request's complexity. Neither Kloos nor the city would identify the client or confirm whether Stratacache intends to sell.

Coffee County, Tennessee

Coffee County has approved a zoning amendment that limits future data centers to a single industrial zoning district, closing what officials viewed as a loophole that could have allowed the facilities in agricultural areas.

County creates data center restrictive zoning resolution - Tullahoma News

At their July 14 meeting, the Coffee County Commission took a large step aimed at controlling where, or even if, data centers can be built in rural Coffee County. The resolution amendment that passed 16-0 will clear up a potential loophole that could have been used to build a data center in the county’s extensive […]

Tullahoma NewsJohn Coffelt

The County Commission unanimously passed the amendment 16-0 on July 14, formally recognizing data centers as a special exception under the zoning ordinance and restricting them to the county's M-2 Special Impact Industrial District.

Officials said the change is intended to prevent data centers from being developed in A-1 agricultural zones while allowing the county to impose conditions on future projects. Planning Commission members said additional standards and conditional use requirements are still being developed and will be considered at a future meeting. County leaders emphasized that Tennessee law does not allow legal land uses to be banned outright, making the zoning amendment a way to regulate where and how data centers can be developed.

Brookhaven, New York

Brookhaven officials unanimously approved an 18-month moratorium on new data center applications after residents packed a public hearing to voice concerns about energy demand, water resources, and community impacts.

Brookhaven Board Meeting Gets Heated, Approves Data Center Moratorium

A packed auditorium of residents urged Brookhaven Town officials to keep data centers out of the community, warning the massive facilities could strain Long Isl

The South Shore PressRobert Chartuk

The temporary pause will give the town time to develop its first zoning regulations governing where data centers can be built and the standards they must meet before future applications are considered. Residents warned that large facilities could strain Long Island's electric grid, increase utility costs, threaten the region's sole-source aquifer, generate excessive noise, and reduce quality of life, while officials clarified that no data center applications are currently pending. Town leaders said the new regulations will address issues including energy and water consumption, environmental impacts, public safety, infrastructure capacity, and noise.

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