Data Centers: Daily Notes | May 25, 2026
Moratoriums sweep new communities in Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Texas, and Connecticut, hundreds rally against Utah's 40,000-acre Stratos Project, and data center construction floods a West Virginia neighborhood.
At A Glance 🔽
- Washington Township, MI passes a six-month moratorium days after Prologis withdraws its 312-acre data center proposal.
- Wright County, MN commissioners approve a one-year moratorium on new township data center applications.
- Otoe County, NE approves a moratorium pausing new data centers for up to a year amid local opposition.
- Harlingen, TX approves a 120-day moratorium to study impacts before any data center arrives.
- Morris, CT enacts a two-year moratorium to protect farmland and rural character.
- Box Elder County, UT: hundreds rally at the Utah Capitol against the 40,000-acre Stratos Project.
- Augusta, GA officials move to freeze new data center applications pending a new zoning ordinance.
- Mason County, WV: data center construction triggers flooding, and the developer agrees to cover residents' repair costs.
- Roselle Park, NJ council moves to ban data centers and demands transparency on a neighboring Kenilworth project.
- DeSoto County, FL developers push a complex that could reach 1,300 acres and 4,000 MW amid resident pushback.
Washington Township, Michigan
Washington Township's Board of Trustees passed a six-month moratorium on new data center applications. Approved Wednesday, the moratorium runs for six months or until the township amends its zoning ordinance, whichever comes first.
This came days after San Francisco-based Prologis withdrew its proposal for a 312-acre technical campus, after residents argued a data center would strain infrastructure and sit too close to homes. Officials said the pause keeps another applicant from filing before new safeguards are in place. The updated ordinance is expected later this summer.
Wright County, Minnesota
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Wright County commissioners approved a one-year moratorium on new data center applications in townships under county zoning, following a packed public hearing in Buffalo on May 19.
The board adopted Interim Ordinance 26-2 after testimony from 14 residents, all in favor of the pause. Many came from the Monticello area, where a proposed 550-acre campus tied to Monticello Tech LLC has drawn opposition. That project is unaffected, because it is advancing through city annexation rather than county zoning. The county plans to convene a stakeholder work group to draft permanent rules and has acknowledged that an outright ban would not survive a legal challenge.
Otoe County, Nebraska
NOTICE OF MEETING
Regular Agenda 2 "A Public Hearing to hear comments regarding Otoe County Planning and Zoning Regulations relating to data centers and/or the need to issue a moratorium on applications for Conditional Use and/or building permits"
Otoe County commissioners approved a moratorium on new data centers, pausing development for up to a year amid mounting opposition in Nebraska City.
Residents have posted "Stop the Data Center" signs around town, and farmers and other community members turned out to the Board of Commissioners meeting at the county courthouse. More Nebraska counties could follow.
Harlingen, Texas
e. Public hearing imposing a temporary moratorium on the acceptance, processing, and approval of applications for High-Intensity Data Processing Facilities....
The Harlingen City Commission approved a 120-day moratorium on data centers, giving the city time to research the industry and update its ordinances before any project arrives.
Officials said no data center is currently seeking to locate in Harlingen, but the pause lets the city assess impacts on water and power and shape rules around community input. The commission acted after a required public hearing where residents spoke both for and against. The city says no data center proposals exist within its limits.
Morris, Connecticut
The town of Morris approved a two-year moratorium on data centers to protect the farmland and rural character that residents rank as their top reason for living in the small Litchfield County town.
Morris has no data center proposal pending, but two recently approved solar projects, totaling about 43.5 acres, prompted officials to act. Because utility-scale solar falls under state Siting Council jurisdiction, local officials were unsure how much control they would have over a data center. The Planning and Zoning Commission approved the pause after a public hearing that drew no attendees.
Box Elder County, Utah
Hundreds of Utahns rallied at the state Capitol on Saturday to demand a halt to the Stratos Project, a 40,000-acre data center campus planned in Box Elder County along the north shore of the Great Salt Lake.
The American people of Salt Lake City have organized at the Utah State Capitol to protest the republicans for greenlighting Kevin O Leary’s proposed data center.🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/N3O4srbQF0
— chiky handler (@chiky_handlr) May 23, 2026
The protest came after county commissioners' decision to let the project proceed, a vote at which officials cut off public comment after the crowd grew unruly. Speakers, including activists and Democratic lawmakers, warned of effects on air quality, greenhouse gas emissions, and the state's strained water supply. Brigham City resident Shannon Barton said she formed the Box Elder Accountability Referendum to put the project to a public vote, and a proposed state bill would study the environmental effects of data centers.
Augusta, Georgia
Augusta officials are moving to freeze new data center applications until the city adopts a new zoning ordinance, as projects loom in the area.
The proposed pause comes as data center developer QTS advances plans for a facility in Augusta.
Mason County, West Virginia
Severe weekend flooding along University Lane in Mason County was tied to construction at a nearby data center, and the developer has agreed to cover residents' cleanup and repair costs.
The site is part of the Monarch Compute Campus, announced this year by Fidelis New Energy and 8090 Industries with the American Intelligence & Power Corporation. The developer said a storm dropped about a month's worth of rain in 48 hours, overwhelming the temporary erosion controls in place during construction and breaching a section of silt fencing. Crews have since rebuilt the fencing, cut additional drainage channels, and provided lodging and meals to affected residents ahead of more forecasted rain.
Roselle Park, New Jersey
Roselle Park's Borough Council moved to ban data centers boroughwide while demanding transparency about a project already under construction next door in Kenilworth.
Mayor Joseph Signorello Jr. introduced an ordinance to prohibit data centers in all zoning districts, which passed on first reading; a second reading is set for a later date. The council also approved a resolution seeking inter-municipal coordination and impact mitigation on the Kenilworth project, which borders the borough's Fifth Ward and is reportedly slated for completion next year.
DeSoto County, Florida
Developers are pushing to build one of the country's largest data center complexes in rural DeSoto County, where commissioners have embraced the project as financial relief even as some residents object.
In March, the county rezoned 34 acres at a decommissioned power plant for DCIP Group's first data center, powered by natural gas from the Florida Gas Transmission Pipeline. The company has since sought to rezone adjacent land, expanding the proposed footprint past 825 acres, and its CEO says the final project could reach 1,300 acres. DCIP says the site could eventually demand 4,000 megawatts, far above the 750 megawatts or less drawn by the largest US data centers today. Residents cite concerns over water, noise, and pollution.
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