Data Centers: Daily Notes | September 23, 2026

Kershaw County, South Carolina

Kershaw County Council unanimously passed a third and final reading of a one-year moratorium on data centers, cryptocurrency mining operations and data processing facilities, giving officials a year to study the industry and develop regulations.

Kershaw County Council passes temporary moratorium on data centers

Kershaw County Council passes temporary moratorium on data centers

https://www.wistv.com

Councilmember Danny Catoe said the ordinance is desperately needed given the discussion and public comment the council has received, calling the pause an opportunity to determine next steps. Councilmember Sammie Tucker Jr. voted in favor remotely, and Councilmember Jimmy Jones thanked residents who reached out to council members a few weeks earlier to help initiate the ordinance. The first and second readings passed Aug. 25 and Sept. 8.

At a public hearing held earlier in the meeting, one resident, the sole speaker to sign up, urged the council to use common sense in adopting the moratorium until the county can regulate the technology, saying AI offers real advantages but risks becoming something communities can't control if development isn't managed responsibly.

Baltimore County, Maryland

Baltimore County Council voted unanimously Tuesday to extend the county's data center moratorium through at least the end of 2027, after it had been set to expire by year's end.

Councilman Izzy Patoka said he hasn't heard from any constituents who want the moratorium lifted, noting only lawyers and developers have pushed for that outcome. Councilman Todd Crandell said a pause remains appropriate given how quickly the industry is evolving, and that data center companies have failed to answer the council's questions on environmental impact and energy costs. Councilman Pat Young, who had earlier called extending the moratorium premature before the county's own planning board study was complete, said in an earlier statement that acting before reviewing that report amounted to "political theater."

The planning board approved its final report on data centers Sept. 17, and Council Chairman Mike Ertel confirmed the council has received it but hasn't yet had time to review it.

North Port, Florida

North Port city commissioners approved an 18-month moratorium on new data center applications in a 3-2 vote Tuesday, though the measure excludes a roughly 900,000-square-foot data center already proposed in a remote part of the city.

Commissioners Phil Stokes and Barbara Langdon and Mayor Pete Emrich supported the moratorium, while Commissioners Demetrius Petrow and David Duval voted no, arguing the pending project should be included in the pause. City Attorney Michael Fuino warned that folding the existing application into the moratorium could expose the city to a lawsuit, since the company could argue it was denied legal rights under the application process, though he said commissioners could still ultimately reject the project. The moratorium allows city staff to keep accepting, processing and reviewing applications, but the commission must approve any development before it moves forward.

The city's land development code currently doesn't address water demand, infrastructure capacity or environmental impact for large-scale data centers, and the legislation directs staff to study the issue and draft new regulations; it also allows developers to seek an exception for "extraordinary hardship," such as existing permits or substantial prior expenditures, with commissioners deciding whether to grant it.

Oakland, California

An Oakland City Council committee approved a proposed 45-day moratorium on new data centers, clearing the way for a full council vote scheduled for Oct. 6, after testimony from residents on both sides of the issue.

Oakland City Council Committee approves proposed 45-day moratorium on new data centers

Amid environmental concerns and a growing pushback across the Bay Area, a temporary ban on new data center proposals heads to a full council vote.

NBC Bay AreaPete Suratos

Opposition at the hearing centered heavily on environmental concerns, including a proposed 20,000-square-foot downtown "innovation center" that would provide computing power for AI and robotics, though members of the public repeatedly called it a data center. Councilmember Carroll Fife said the rise of AI has driven a proliferation of resource-intensive data centers consuming significant amounts of electricity and water, and Councilmember Rowena Brown said the pause would give the city time to identify needed regulations.

The move follows similar 45-day moratoriums recently adopted in Gilroy and Richmond, and comes as Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed seven new state laws addressing data centers' electricity and water use. Brown, who supported the committee measure, encouraged residents to keep showing up and making their voices heard as the proposal heads to the full council.

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Fort Wayne, Indiana

Fort Wayne City Council delayed a vote on a proposed one-year data center moratorium for three weeks Tuesday, pushing final action to Oct. 13 after multiple amendments were introduced and council members said they wanted more time to review the changes.

Councilwoman Rohli Booker introduced the proposal earlier this month, which would block approval of any new data center projects for a year while directing the Department of Planning Services to develop comprehensive data center development standards. The moratorium would not affect the existing Google data center project already underway in southeast Fort Wayne.

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

Buffalo, New York

Buffalo's proposed two-year ban on new data centers moved a step closer to passage after a Tuesday public hearing before the community development committee, with enough council members expressing support that the resolution would have passed had a vote been held then and there.

The resolution, sponsored by North District Council Member Joseph Golombek, was instead sent to the full council for a vote next Tuesday, where Golombek said he expects it to pass, possibly unanimously. If signed into law, the measure would establish a commission to review the city charter, zoning ordinances and other regulations a data center could affect. Golombek said more than a dozen data centers have opened in Buffalo over the past decade, many near residential neighborhoods, and that the city currently has no ordinances in place that would prevent a data center from being built without any changes.

Golombek, whose district includes Black Rock and Riverside, said he wants to protect nearby residents while ensuring any future data center in the city is done properly. It remains unclear whether Mayor Sean Ryan will sign the resolution if it passes; his office has not responded to a request for comment.

Vineyard, New Jersey

New Jersey fined Data One's Vineland data center $1.07 million, the largest enforcement action against a data center in state history, after a July inspection found 62 large natural-gas generators operating without required air pollution permits.

New Jersey’s largest data center fined $1.07M for air pollution violations

DEP Commissioner Ed Potosnak said the action is intended to send a message to the industry.

6ABC PhiladelphiaLeland Pinder

DEP Commissioner Ed Potosnak said the penalty is meant to send a clear message that facilities won't be built or operated without consequence. Matt Williams of Sustain South Jersey welcomed the action but questioned whether $1 million would meaningfully affect a billion-dollar company. Data One said it plans to apply for permits for the generators while continuing its transition to quieter, low-emission fuel cells, which it said were already approved as the site's permanent power solution, though the company disputed the state's determination regarding the temporary generators.

DataOne Q&A | Sustainable AI Factory - Vineland, NJ

DataOne Sustainable AI Factory - Frequently Asked Questions about the Vineland, New Jersey hyperscale AI infrastructure project.

DataOne

The unpermitted generators had drawn scrutiny for months, with thermal drone footage from nonprofit newsroom Floodlight showing at least 45 of the 62 units running in August, and resident complaints about noise prompting a Cumberland County Health Department investigation earlier this year. Former EPA Air Enforcement Chief Bruce Buckheit said in the Floodlight investigation that the company should immediately halt the generators and pay for its illegal emissions. Regulators said the generators weren't present during a December 2025 inspection, and the DEP has given Data One 45 days to obtain the required permits or stop any further installation or operation of the equipment.

Reading, Pennsylvania

Reading's Planning Commission could vote next month on a proposed zoning amendment regulating data centers, with commissioners saying Tuesday they'll advertise potential action for the Oct. 20 workshop meeting.

The process began in early July when City Council adopted a resolution invoking the curative amendment process, formally declaring the city's zoning ordinance defective as it relates to data centers and triggering a 180-day window to adopt regulations, during which no developer may submit a data center application. Planning consultant Jerome Skrincosky of Hawk Valley Associates said a special task force has been meeting regularly, with a fourth draft of the amendment expected before the commission Oct. 20. The proposed ordinance would limit data centers to the city's Heavy Manufacturing and Manufacturing Commercial zoning districts through a conditional use hearing before council, addressing a gap in current zoning that previously would have allowed a data center in any district.

Recent additions to the draft include a 500-foot setback from Preservation zoning districts for standard data centers and 1,000 feet for major facilities, along with provisions protecting nonconforming residential uses or other sensitive receptors within the affected zones, requirements around alternative energy use limits, and noise buffering conditions for rooftop or ground-level equipment. Some planning commission members have questioned whether the proposed rules go too far. Skrincosky said the goal is for the commission to recommend the amendment to council for possible adoption in December, with the current 180-day moratorium on data center applications set to expire in January.

Raton, New Mexico

The Raton City Commission voted 3-2 to reject a resolution that would have imposed a one-year moratorium on business licenses and zoning approvals for data centers while the city finishes drafting a permanent regulatory ordinance.

Commissioner Dan Campbell, voting no, said Raton's municipally owned utilities already have safeguards in place, and that the city lacks the power generation capacity and relies on surface rather than groundwater, factors he said would naturally discourage data center development regardless. Mayor Pro-Tem Mark Honeyfield also voted no, citing unresolved questions about existing facilities like the CenturyLink site on 4th and Cook Avenue and the absence of a legal review. Mayor Lori Chatterley voted no as well, pointing to existing oversight from the city's utilities and the New Mexico Environment Department, and noted no data center project is currently proposed.

Raton City Commission Turns Down Data Center Moratorium – KRTN Enchanted Air Radio

KRTN Enchanted Air RadioName*

Commissioners Linde' Schuster and Sally Hoger supported the resolution, with Schuster arguing it would give the community reassurance while an ordinance is finalized, and Hoger noting the pause would be non-binding and could be rescinded if needed. Prior to the vote, resident Kimberly Burke submitted a petition with 477 qualifying signatures from Raton residents opposing data centers in the city.

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