Data Centers: Daily Notes | September 28, 2026

Osage Nation, Oklahoma

Osage Nation Congresswoman Angela Pratt introduced legislation, ONCA 26-70, that would require tribal government entities to bring hyperscale data center proposals before the tribe's 12-member Congress before approving them on tribal territory.

The bill responds to ongoing talks between the tribe's Minerals Council and Google over Project Spring, an 827-acre data center site in Sand Springs at the southern end of the Osage reservation. Sand Springs' city council approved the project in February, but it likely cannot proceed without leasing permissions from the Minerals Council, which oversees the tribe's 1.47 million-acre oil and gas subsurface.

Most of the Natural Resources Committee was receptive at Friday's meeting, though Minerals Council member Nathan Tinker Hauth, the only one present, questioned whether the bill could set a precedent of Congress stepping into the council's work. The committee postponed a decision, possibly until next week, as the tribe works through its budget session ahead of the Oct. 1 fiscal year.

Tulare County, California

Tulare County supervisors voted 3-2 to adopt a formal position opposing most data center development within the county's boundaries, including in areas outside their jurisdiction, after unanimously extending the county's moratorium on new data centers in unincorporated areas by 10 months and 15 days.

The opposition resolution exempts enterprise data centers owned by a single entity and built to support its own data and operations, and authorizes the board chair or a designee to issue letters of opposition to projects that fall within its scope. The moratorium extension, allowed under California Government Code Section 65858, follows an initial 45-day pause approved Aug. 18 and does not apply to the county's 18 incorporated cities. Michael Washam, associate director of the county's Resource Management Agency, said existing county ordinances are antiquated when it comes to the technology, and that staff has only completed a preliminary review of options such as zoning requirements, conditional use permits, setbacks, noise standards, water and energy considerations and backup power rules.

Orangetown, New York

Congressman Mike Lawler is demanding that Gov. Kathy Hochul and the New York Power Authority disclose the value of discounted electricity provided to data centers in Orangeburg.

Lawler demands details on discounted power for Rockland data centers

ORANGEBURG- Congressman Mike Lawler (R, NY-17) is demanding that Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York Power Authority disclose the value of discounted electri

Mid Hudson NewsMid-Hudson News Staff

Three of the four data centers in the Orangeburg section of Orangetown receive discounted hydropower through NYPA's ReCharge NY program, a statewide economic development program that offers qualifying businesses and nonprofits lower-cost hydropower under long-term contracts. NYPA has declined to disclose what individual facilities pay or the value of their discounts, saying the information is proprietary and protected by contract. Lawler is asking the state to release at least the total annual cost of the discounts and the average subsidy per participating business.

Sioux County, Iowa

Sioux County supervisors hold a public hearing today at 9 a.m. on a proposed amendment to County Ordinance No. 1 that would set rules for considering data center applications.

Sioux County data center rules hearing set for Tuesday

Sioux County residents can weigh in on proposed data center regulations tomorrow.

KTIV Siouxland's News ChannelCarson Schubert

The Planning and Zoning Commission previously recommended approval. Zoning Director Shane Walter said a data center would be held to a much higher standard than any business currently in the county. Requirements would include independent studies, a closed-loop cooling system, and funding for first responder training and equipment, and the proposal addresses water use, electricity demand, noise and developer responsibilities.

Supervisors will consider the amendment after the hearing. If it passes first reading, a second reading follows Oct. 13 at 9 a.m. and a third and final reading Oct. 27 at 9 a.m., with the amendment taking effect on publication. Adoption would not approve any individual project, which would still need its own application and review.

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Jasper County, South Carolina

Jasper County Council unanimously approved second reading of a one-year data center moratorium for unincorporated areas at its Sept. 21 meeting, with a third and final reading set for the next council meeting.

Council approves second reading on one-year data center moratorium

Jasper County Council passed second reading on a one-year moratorium for data centers in the unincorporated areas of Jasper County.

Yahoo NewsShellie Murdaugh, Bluffton Today

The ordinance would pause applications for rezoning, site plans, building permits and economic incentives tied to data centers, data processing facilities and crypto mining operations, and lets council extend the moratorium in six-month increments if needed. Planning and Building Services Director Lisa Wagner said the county's zoning ordinance currently allows data centers by right in the community commercial, general commercial, industrial development and mixed business districts, because it relies on NAICS codes that don't list the use separately.

Staff intends to have a regulatory ordinance ready by the time the moratorium expires, including standards on siting, size, density, water and power needs and updates to the comprehensive plan. The Planning Commission recommended the ordinance Aug. 11, and first reading on Sept. 8 invoked the pending ordinance doctrine, which lets the county enforce the ordinance's requirements before final approval.

Mahomet, Illinois

Mahomet officials announced Monday that the village has held preliminary talks with developer Clean Cloud Energy about a possible data center campus on rural land west of Champaign, including discussions on language for a potential development agreement.

Less than a year after dismissing data center prospect, Mahomet weighs development talks - Mahomet Daily

According to a press release on Monday, the Village of Mahomet is in preliminary discussions with Clean Cloud Energy about a potential data center campus on rural land west of Champaign. The village said Monday that discussions have included draft language for a possible development agreement, though no formal proposal has been submitted and the

Mahomet DailyDani Tietz

The site sits outside village limits but within Mahomet's extraterritorial jurisdiction, which gives the village certain planning and subdivision authority over the property. Mayor Jason Tompkins said the village has a responsibility to consider economic development that could strengthen its tax base, but that the size of the proposal calls for careful evaluation of its infrastructure needs, financial benefits, environmental considerations and effects on residents. He listed siting away from residential areas, mitigating light and noise, and protecting the Mahomet Aquifer, including a closed-loop cooling requirement, among the concerns.

Pine Island, Minnesota

The proposed Pine Island data center in Minnesota remains halted under a court order, after the Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy challenged the project over its environmental impacts, with the next hearing scheduled for Nov. 16.

Pine Island anti-data center group hosts info session on large-scale projects

Southern Minnesotans came together to learn more about health concerns and state law related to data centers in Goodhue this Saturday.

ABC 6 News - kaaltv.comKabedi Mutamba

While the legal fight continues, organizers with Stop the Pine Island Data Center held an informational event in Goodhue this weekend aimed at southern Minnesota residents concerned about data centers' health effects and relevant state law. Ava Corey-Gruenes of Health Professionals for a Healthy Climate said data center-related water pollution has been tied to cancer, miscarriages and kidney conditions, and said the goal was ensuring residents understand and consent to projects affecting their communities. Many attendees voiced support for statewide moratoriums to allow further research before projects like Pine Island's proceed.

Saint Joseph, Indiana

A coalition of about 25 congregations and community organizations called We Make Indiana is pressing Microsoft to negotiate a binding "Fair Share Agreement" tied to its planned 900-acre, $1 billion data center in Granger, St. Joseph County.

The group's May proposal would have Microsoft fund an independent board-overseen pool for local needs, contributing a percentage of the project's annual costs over its lifetime, including construction. The group initially considered asking for 1 to 2 percent, which it estimates could add $30 million to $40 million a year to community programs, but asked Microsoft to determine what percentage would be fair. It also asked for higher standards on water and energy use, air quality, sustainability and workforce protections. Microsoft has approved one-time nonprofit donations totaling up to $1 million, which the group says is out of proportion to the tax savings the company will receive.

Building Community-First AI Infrastructure

Microsoft is launching a new initiative to build what we call Community-First AI Infrastructure—a commitment to do this work differently than some others and to do it responsibly.

Microsoft On the IssuesBrad Smith

A Microsoft spokesperson said it is too early to discuss the proposal because the company is still engaging other community leaders and has not made investment decisions. We Make Indiana says it is not trying to stop the project, which is set to begin construction this fall and could be operating by 2029, and plans public demonstrations. It is also weighing whether a proposed tax increment financing district around the site could serve as leverage under the message "No TIF without a Fair Share," though Microsoft has not publicly backed the TIF.

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Episode: Inside Utah Politics with Lindsay Aerts

Listen:https://rss.com/podcasts/insideutahpolitics/3183062

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