MICHIGAN

A bipartisan group of Michigan lawmakers introduced House Bills 5594-5596, creating the "Data Center Regulation Act" and calling for a statewide pause on all new data center approvals through April 2027. The three-bill package would halt both state and local approvals, stop new data centers from beginning operations, and direct state environmental and utility regulators to hold off on any data center-related reviews during that period.

The package carries 10 co-sponsors from both parties but faces a steep path: it's currently before the House Committee on Government Operations with no committed hearing.

SOUTH CAROLINA

State representatives introduced H-5286, which would prohibit state, county, and city officials from granting final approval on any new data center project until 2028. The ban covers rezoning requests, special use permits, building permits, and economic incentives. The bill would also establish a formal legal definition of data centers as facilities transmitting at least one megawatt of electrical power.

H-5286 was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

MIDDLESEX TOWNSHIP, Pennsylvania

Middlesex Township supervisors approved Phase 1-A land development plans for the $15 billion Pennsylvania Digital 1 complex, clearing the electrical infrastructure needed to keep the project moving. The plans cover one large PPL Electric substation and three smaller step-down buildings on the 693-acre Country Club Road site; lead engineer Justin Ross said work could begin by late spring with a target of going live in summer 2027.

Pennsylvania Digital I Hyperscale Campus | Pennsylvania Data Center Partners

PAX (Pennsylvania Digital I) is a hyperscale data center campus in Carlisle, PA, announced at the Pennsylvania Energy and Innovation Summit.

Pennsylvania Data Center Partners

The board agreed last week to pause any expansion of data center land use in Middlesex until completion of a comprehensive plan update, a process expected to take one to 18 months.

BENTON, Louisiana

The Bossier Parish Police Jury unanimously voted to schedule the first public hearing on the planned Amazon data center for March 18, when it will vote on the final plat for the 1,089-acre "Highway 3 Technology Park" north of Benton. The facility, being developed by STACK Infrastructure for Amazon Web Services, is planned at over 1.3 million square feet across six buildings.

This will mark the first opportunity for public comment on the property held by any Bossier government body since its future as a data center was confirmed on February 23. Previous votes were cast without public disclosure that they involved a data center, in part due to nondisclosure agreements signed by Bossier officials including police jurors and Parish Administrator Ken Ward.

INVER GROVE HEIGHTS, Minnesota

A zoning and land use application for a data center was filed for a 14-acre site at 5890 Carmen Ave. in Inver Grove Heights, the former home of the Travel Tags printing company. The site was sold in December to Fortress Investment Group, a California-based firm and subsidiary of Mubadala Investment Company, a state-owned sovereign wealth fund of Abu Dhabi's government in the United Arab Emirates.

The application is under city review. Current zoning already allows a data center as a permitted use, meaning no rezoning would be required. Once the application is deemed complete, it would advance to the planning commission and then the city council. Community Development Director Jason Ziemer confirmed the city has not signed any nondisclosure agreements related to the project.

Dakota County Commissioner Joe Atkins is set to bring a countywide review of data center impacts to the County Board at its April 7 meeting.

INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana

Indianapolis's Department of Metropolitan Development Commission unanimously approved a 30-day delay in the zoning decision for California-based Metrobloks's proposed 154,000-square-foot data center in the Martindale-Brightwood neighborhood. Council Member Ron Gibson requested the continuance, saying his team will spend the next 30 days working to "inform the community more about the benefits of this project."

A hearing examiner recommended approval last month. The zoning decision is now scheduled for April 1, though regardless of the commission's outcome, the issue will still go before the full city-county council.

NORWALK, Iowa

The Norwalk City Council held a public hearing tonight on a development agreement with a land developer preparing property on the city's west side, an arrangement officials are careful to separate from any data center approval. Under the agreement, the developer is responsible for installing infrastructure at its own cost, while the city handles certain public infrastructure work funded by the developer.

Officials stated that tonight's vote does not authorize a data center and that any future facility would require its own separate review and public process. The city says no tax incentives are being offered. The proposed development would dedicate 400,000 gallons per day of water capacity that has already been planned within the city's industrial reserve.

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