Data Centers: Daily Notes | June 3, 2026
New York moves toward a nation-first statewide moratorium, Virginia Beach unanimously bars future data centers, and Monterey Park voters appear set to enact California's first city-level ban.
At A Glance 🔽
- New York legislators poised to pass nation's first one-year statewide moratorium on new AI data center construction.
- Virginia Beach, VA City Council votes to reject all future large-scale data centers.
- Howard County, MD Council passes moratorium through November 2027 to update regulations dating to 1993.
- Ashwaubenon, WI Plan Commission adopts 12-month pause on hyperscale data centers.
- Little Rock, AR passes data center ordinance regulating water, noise, and utilities.
- Big Beaver Borough, PA: Switch's proposed 382-acre data center draws capacity crowd to town hall as police stand guard.
- Augusta, GA commissioners approve 49-day moratorium amid QTS's $2 billion data center proposal.
- Holmes County, FL commissioners advance one-year moratorium and direct attorney to draft a permanent ban.
- Filer Township, MI trustees approve one-year moratorium as a precaution before any project is filed.
- Monterey Park, CA Measure NDC leads with 86.7% support, on track to become California's first city-level data center ban.
New York
State legislators are poised to pass a one-year moratorium on new AI data center construction. This would make New York the first state in the nation to halt the facilities.
The bill, introduced Monday by state Sen. Kristen Gonzalez and Assemblymember Didi Barrett, would block new construction for 12 months while the Department of Environmental Conservation completes an 18-month impact study and holds public hearings before issuing permits. The measure is a compromise from an earlier bill that would have imposed a three-year ban.
The legislation would also require data centers to source at least one-third of their electricity from renewables from 2030 to 2034, rising to two-thirds from 2035 to 2039, and would subject developers to prevailing-wage and union bargaining standards. Gov. Kathy Hochul has voiced opposition, calling data centers a local land-use decision rather than a state matter. The Business Council of New York State, Tech:NYC, the Bronx Chamber of Commerce, and the Long Island Association signed a letter opposing the bill.
Virginia Beach, Virginia
On Youtube: City Council Meeting, 6/2/2026
📁 City Council Meeting Agenda
The Virginia Beach City Council voted Tuesday to reject future large-scale data center development, following months of packed meetings and public opposition.
Mayor Bobby Dyer said the council would not entertain any data centers in the city, while clarifying that existing colocation facilities will continue to operate. Virginia Beach is the landing point for four new transoceanic fiber optic cables, and city leaders said they still want that connecting infrastructure even as they close the door on hyperscale campuses.
The resolution still needs to clear the planning commission before returning to the council for a final vote. Residents who attended the meeting applauded the move, with several thanking the council for choosing community concerns over data center development.
Howard County, Maryland
The Howard County Council passed a temporary moratorium on new data center development to give the county time to modernize regulations last updated around 1993.
Bill sponsor Councilmember Christiana Rigby said the pause, which runs until November 2027, will allow a task force to study noise, locations, energy and water consumption, and zoning before the council updates the county code. The bill now heads to County Executive Calvin Ball.
Ashwaubenon, Wisconsin
Jun 2, 2026 5:30 PM
The Ashwaubenon Plan Commission voted on Tuesday to adopt a 12-month moratorium on hyperscale data centers in the village. The June 2 vote temporarily halts hyperscale development across the village.
The action comes as data center development draws increasing scrutiny across the region. Brown County Supervisor Christopher Welch raised similar concerns at the May 20 County Board of Supervisors meeting, calling for a temporary halt until state legislation establishes regulations, monitoring, and Department of Natural Resources enforcement. That proposal was referred to the Brown County Planning, Development, and Transportation Committee for a June 2 vote.
Little Rock, Arkansas
asadler
Little Rock's Board of Directors passed a new data center ordinance Tuesday, with Mayor Frank Scott Jr. saying the city is doing what it can under a state law that bars outright bans.
Arkansas's Act 851 prevents cities and counties from banning data centers, so the ordinance focuses on regulation: water use, noise levels, backup generators, and utility planning. It prohibits groundwater cooling, requires noise monitors, stops utility cost increases from affecting residents, and limits testing on diesel-powered backup generators. Hyperscale data centers will only be allowed in industrial-zoned areas.
Big Beaver Borough, Pennsylvania
Joshua Steenmeyer
A town hall on a proposed 382-acre data center campus in Big Beaver Borough drew a capacity crowd Tuesday night, with police on hand and media barred from the room.
Switch, a Las Vegas-based data center company, presented plans for three identical buildings covering less than half of the campus acreage. The development would replace Pitt Race, a racetrack that closed a few months ago. Switch claims the project will generate millions of dollars in tax revenue, compared to the $11,000 Pitt Race brought in last year. Switch representatives said the campus will not be visible to the general public and will not be heard.
Neighbors waited outside after the event reached capacity. One Beaver County resident called the project a net negative for society and the environment, while another said the tax claims would not translate into real benefits for taxpayers.
Augusta, Georgia
Augusta commissioners approved a 49-day temporary moratorium on new data center applications on Tuesday, buying time to update a zoning plan untouched since 1963.
Tuesday, June 02, 2026 2:00 PM
The pause gives city planners room to draft new regulations covering location, noise, and size. The public will get a chance to weigh in once the proposals reach the planning commission.
The moratorium lands as QTS pursues a $2 billion data center on land near the Haynes Station neighborhood. The company plans to hold a meeting on June 24 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at Belair Elementary.
Holmes County, Florida
Tuesday, June 02, 2026 at 6:00PM
Residents at the meeting raised concerns about water use, heat, noise, and impacts on northwest Florida's springs, rivers, and lakes. The vast majority of speakers pushed for a permanent ban rather than a temporary pause, and commissioners asked the county attorney to draft a second ordinance banning AI data centers outright by the next commission meeting.
Walton County Commissioner Dan Curry attended and urged a unified North Florida approach. No data center applications have been filed in Holmes County yet, but commissioners want to get ahead of one if it comes. Two public hearings are required before the moratorium becomes final, with the next scheduled for June 16 at 6 p.m.
Filer Township, Michigan
Tuesday, June 2, 2026 at 6:00 p.m.
Filer Township trustees voted Tuesday to adopt a one-year moratorium on data centers. The board acted at its monthly meeting in front of about a dozen attendees. Residents speaking during public comment uniformly backed the moratorium and thanked trustees for taking up the ordinance before any project surfaced.
Township Supervisor Terry Walker has called the moratorium a precaution; Filer has not been officially approached by any developer and has not received an application. The pause gives officials time to examine zoning rules, infrastructure concerns, utility usage, and environmental impacts.
On Youtube: Filer Township Board Meeting 2026-05-07
When the data center moratorium was introduced...
Monterey Park, California
Monterey Park voters appear set to ban data centers from the city, with Measure NDC pulling 86.7% support in early Tuesday returns.
If approved, Measure NDC would be the first instance of a California city instituting a data center ban. The ballot measure grew out of strong local opposition to a proposed data center project late last year in Monterey Park. It requires a majority of the vote to pass.
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