Data Centers: Daily Notes | July 8, 2026

Nashville, Tennessee

A packed crowd at Nashville's Metro Courthouse on July 7 pressed council members to slow data center growth, hours after Mayor Freddie O'Connell publicly disputed developer DC BLOX's account of talks over a project next to the Nashville Zoo.

Nashville Project

DC BLOX Nashville Data Center DC BLOX Holds Productive Discussions with Nashville Zoo Board Chair and CEO Collaborative talks organized by the Mayor’s

DC BLOX

The council took up two ordinances that evening, one capping data center size and another establishing a moratorium on new projects, both on their second of three required votes, with O'Connell backing both. He has also filed a separate ordinance to acquire the zoo-adjacent site through eminent domain. Just before the meeting, DC BLOX released a statement describing a "collaborative discussion" with zoo and city officials and committing to measures including a closed-loop cooling system and full funding of utility upgrades.

The controversy follows Fisk University's May announcement of its own $400 million data and innovation center.

Metro Council advances bills on data center zoning regulations and a moratorium after hours of public comment

Hundreds packed Nashville’s Metro Courthouse to oppose a proposed data center next to the Nashville Zoo as the mayor calls developer’s claims ‘inaccurate.’

News Channel 5 Nashville (WTVF)Patsy Montesinos

Frederick County, Maryland

Frederick County's Board of Education will hold a community listening session July 13 at Carroll Manor Elementary School to gather safety and mitigation feedback on the nearby Quantum Frederick data center development.

Data Centers | Frederick County MD - Official Website

Frederick County MD HomepageGovernment Websites by CivicPlus®

Board President Dean Rose said he wants to collect input he can pass along to Frederick County Public Schools staff, who will present research to the board in September on how data centers affect schools, drawing on conversations with the county, state, the Maryland Department of the Environment and Loudoun County, Virginia.

Greenwood County, South Carolina

Greenwood County Council approved a one-year moratorium on data center development Tuesday in a 4-3 vote, even though Chairman Theo Lane said the county has no pending data center applications.

Before the vote, the council also weighed a separate ordinance to set specific rules for data centers, since none currently exist, ultimately approving an amended version that bars data centers from industrial districts. Resident Julie Jones told the council the new rules weren't strict enough and pushed for stronger, more measurable standards.

Councilman Robbie Templeton said data centers, if sited correctly, could benefit the community through high-paying jobs and tax revenue without burdening taxpayers, arguing much of the opposition relied on outdated information. The council also moved to pause any new proposals for two weeks as the measure heads to a third and final reading.

Boulder City, Nevada

Townsite Solar 2 LLC pulled its bid to lease city-owned land near Boulder City for an 88.5-acre data center after the Bureau of Land Management cleared the way for the project to shift to nearby federal land instead.

The BLM approved an amended right-of-way grant for the 80-acre federal parcel on June 26, land that had only been environmentally assessed in 2023 for solar and battery storage rather than a data center, a gap that could give the city grounds to appeal. Boulder City's council is set to take up the matter at its July 14 meeting, following a Planning Commission recommendation, and a posted agenda item proposes authorizing the city attorney to file an appeal and request a stay of the BLM decision within its 30-day appeal window.

Crossville, Tennessee

Crossville officials are weighing a two-year moratorium on new data centers after a bitcoin mining facility in the city drew ongoing noise complaints from a neighboring metal fabrication business.

Crossville bitcoin mining center draws noise complaints, city eyes moratorium on future data centers

A bitcoin mining data center in Crossville is generating noise complaints from neighboring businesses, and city officials say they are considering a two-year moratorium on future data centers while they work to establish additional regulations.

WVLTJared Austin

Travis Threet, manager of Crossville Metal Fabricators, said the constant noise from the data center next door has disrupted his staff, and that heat from the facility was severe enough last year that employees couldn't open their doors for fresh air. Mayor RJ Crawford said the city measured the facility at about 82 decibels, below the city's 90-decibel limit, meaning it remains in compliance despite the complaints. Threet said he has sought help building a sound-dampening wall between the buildings but hasn't found anyone to do the work.

Crawford said residents have also raised concerns about future data centers straining the city's water supply, a resource he described as already limited. He plans to bring the proposed two-year moratorium to an upcoming city meeting so officials can develop additional regulations, saying he wants common-sense rules in place that won't inadvertently reclassify facilities like banks or the local hospital as data centers.

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Clark County, Nevada

Clark County commissioners agreed Tuesday to develop new guidelines for data center development after a wave of public opposition at a commission meeting focused on utility, environmental and quality-of-life concerns.

Resident Katrin Ivanoff asked commissioners to pause new approvals entirely until the county gathers more information, saying too little is known about what happens inside data centers and pointing to disruptions seen in other communities. District E Commissioner Tick Segerblom said he wants assurances that electric rates, water rates and noise levels won't be pushed onto residents, and floated requiring companies to fund additional public infrastructure alongside their projects. He said he wants staff to explore a moratorium and described the commission as largely unified on the need for action.

Prince George's County, Maryland

Prince George's County Council passed a two-year moratorium on hyperscale data center development Tuesday, following nearly an hour of public testimony and about 30 minutes of council debate.

Prince George’s County Council - Reference No. CR-066-2026

Title: A RESOLUTION CONCERNING TEMPORARY MORATORIUM ON HYPERSCALE DATA CENTER OPERATION for the purpose of establishing a two (2) year moratorium on the operation of hyperscale qualified data centers.

Reference No. CR-066-2026Granicus, Inc.

Council members considered shortening the moratorium and rejected a motion to hold the resolution for further discussion before it passed. Councilmember Wala Blegay said too many questions remain unanswered, including how data centers would affect the county's water supply. Councilmember Sydney Harrison acknowledged the potential tax revenue, noting neighboring jurisdictions with over 200 data centers draw more than 42% of their local tax base from the facilities, but argued the long-term health, environmental and utility impacts haven't been fully studied, and called for a community benefit task force to negotiate terms with developers.

Fort Wayne, Indiana

Fort Wayne City Council unanimously delayed a vote on creating an advisory task force for Google's southeast data center, pushing the decision to Sept. 8 in the second delay since the proposal first came up in late June.

Fort Wayne Data Center | Google

Google’s Fort Wayne Data Center: Creating career-defining high-tech jobs and investing in the Fort Wayne community through innovative technology infrastructure.

Google

Councilman Russ Jehl, who introduced the original proposal for a 12-member task force representing city departments, technical experts and community groups, agreed to the added delay after talks with colleagues. Councilwoman Rohli Booker, whose district includes the Google campus, said the extra time will let the council develop broader legislation around data centers alongside the advisory group, describing the committee's intended role as providing accountability and transparency while helping shape future policy.

Dekalb County, Georgia

DeKalb County commissioners voted July 7 to extend the county's data center moratorium through early 2027, giving officials more time to study the industry's impact after rejecting proposed zoning regulations on June 23.

Data Center Text Amendment

!! Official Update 07/02/26 - Read the full statement here. On Tuesday, June 23rd, the DeKalb County Board of Commissioners voted to deny the proposed Data Center Text Amendment. Although the proposed amendment was not adopted, the research, community engagement,

Engage DeKalb

The resolution, sponsored by Commissioners Mereda Davis Johnson and Robert Patrick, states that the June 23 vote revealed a need for input from additional county departments to craft regulations that fully protect residents. It directs CEO Lorraine Cochran-Johnson to have departments including Public Safety, Transportation, Roads and Drainage, and Public Health assess how data centers could affect their operations, and calls for future rules to account for the county's Department of Watershed Management protocols on water use and sewer capacity.

Davis Johnson said the extension addresses concerns beyond zoning that the planning department alone cannot cover. The commission is also currently weighing a special land-use permit for a 2-million-square-foot facility proposed on 95 acres in Ellenwood.

Dubuque County, Iowa

Dubuque County residents pressed the Board of Supervisors Monday to move faster on a permanent data center ordinance, even as the county's existing 12-month moratorium remains in effect.

Dubuque County residents push for stronger long-term limits on data centers

Even with a 12-month moratorium already in place, some Dubuque County residents are urging county leaders to take stronger, longer-term action to limit data cen

KGANAbigail Homrock

During public comment, resident Wayne Kohlenberg raised concerns about data centers' impact on privacy and framed them as a national security risk. Resident Mike Walter urged the board to approve the current moratorium language as written rather than delay over formatting concerns, saying doing so would let the county shift its focus to drafting long-term regulations. Walter said he had expected the moratorium's approval to be straightforward the week before, only to face another week of uncertainty.

Both residents pushed the board to act rather than continue deliberating, though they raised different underlying concerns, one focused on privacy and security, the other on getting a permanent ordinance process moving. The county's moratorium stays in place while work on that permanent ordinance continues.

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