By Dane Artisola in data centers — 01 May 2026

Data Centers: Weekly Briefing // April 27-30, 2026

Maine's governor vetoes the nation's first statewide data center moratorium. Virginia's legislature rejects the governor's ratepayer amendments and sends a Dominion-backed bill to her desk. Oklahoma unanimously passes HB 2992. READ MORE.

Photo by Geoffrey Moffett / Unsplash

**Your weekly digest of Data Center regulatory shifts and decisions.**

At A Glance 🔽

Maine's governor vetoed the nation's first statewide moratorium, blocking a ban on data centers over 20 MW. She said she would have signed it with an exemption for a $550 million project in Jay.
State legislatures were busy. Oklahoma unanimously passed HB 2992 requiring large-load customers to cover energy costs. Utah passed water transparency requirements. Delaware freed its electric cooperative from serving facilities over 50 MW. Virginia's legislature rejected the governor's ratepayer amendments and sent a Dominion-backed cost-shift bill to her desk.
Bans and moratoriums kept spreading. Cassville (WI) and Weaverville (NC) banned data centers outright. Calhoun (GA) and Manitowoc County (WI) passed moratoriums. Denver introduced a one-year moratorium bill with a May 18 vote.
Major projects were denied or collapsed. Killeen (TX) and Rochelle (IL) rejected proposals. Prince William County's Digital Gateway, the world's largest proposed data center corridor at 22 million square feet, effectively died after the developer ended its appeal.
Water dominated the opposition. Google faces pushback over up to 8 million gallons per day in Botetourt County, VA. Box Elder County, UT tabled Kevin O'Leary's 7.5 GW Stratos Project over Great Salt Lake concerns. Utah passed a law requiring water use disclosure after years of secrecy.

📋 This Week's Decisions

A wooden gavel rests on a dark surface. — Photo by Sasun Bughdaryan / Unsplash

State Legislation

Maine: Gov. Janet Mills vetoed LD 307, which would have created an 18-month moratorium on data centers over 20 MW. Mills said she supports a temporary moratorium but would have required an exemption for a project underway at the former Androscoggin Mill in Jay.
Oklahoma: The Senate unanimously passed HB 2992, requiring electric suppliers to create separate terms and conditions for large-load customers and directing regulators to ensure residents are not financially affected by data center demand. A recent amendment added a requirement for developers to provide 60 days' notice and hold a public meeting before buying land.
Virginia: The legislature rejected Gov. Spanberger's amendments to Dominion Energy-backed bills (SB 253, HB 1393). The legislation assigns certain grid upgrade costs to data centers and allows Dominion to spend $900,000 a mile burying distribution lines. The SCC found the cost-shift would save residential customers $5.52 per month. The governor has 30 days to sign or veto.
Utah: Lawmakers passed the Data Center Water Transparency Amendments, requiring developers to provide future water use estimates before building. Utah has 48 data center facilities with over 900 MW of capacity, and the state is in a severe drought.
Delaware: The Senate unanimously passed SB 276, freeing the Delaware Electric Cooperative from the obligation to serve facilities consuming 50 MW or more. The CEO said the bill protects existing members from price spikes. It now goes to a House committee.
South Carolina: A regulation bill (S. 867) advanced to the full Senate floor. The legislation would create a framework for permitting and oversight and require utility rate structures adapted for data centers as a new customer class. With nine days left in session, it is unlikely to pass this year.

Moratoriums Approved

Calhoun, GA: City Council unanimously passed a preemptive moratorium through July 27 with no active proposals on file. Concerned residents filled the meeting, driven by social media posts about potential projects.
Manitowoc County, WI: The county board voted unanimously to impose an 18-month moratorium on data centers. This happens after three towns had requested the pause after Cloverleaf Infrastructure and NSI Land Services approached local farms with land purchase offers.

Bans

Weaverville, NC: Town Council unanimously blocked data centers and crypto mining, classifying both as "noxious uses".
Cassville, WI: Residents voted to ban data centers inside a town garage, rejecting an anonymous developer's billion-dollar proposal on roughly 500 acres of the Driftless Area. The project would have required 400 to 500 MW. The developer is also considering sites in Indiana and North Dakota.

Regulations Passed

Brentwood, MO: The Board of Aldermen approved ordinances classifying data centers as a conditional use in the light industrial district. Any application now requires public hearings before both the planning commission and the board.
Monticello, MN: City Council approved a data center guidelines ordinance after a nearly three-hour meeting with residents largely opposed. A last-minute amendment increased setbacks to 300 feet with full visual screening or 700 feet without.

Projects Approved

Rapides Parish, LA: The England Economic and Industrial Development District approved PILOT terms for a $7.2 billion Applied Digital data center. Local taxing authorities would collect $574.9 million over 25 years. The project would create 200 full-time jobs with minimum salaries between $90,000 and $93,000.
Fort Wayne, IN: Indiana's Utility Regulatory Commission approved a deal between Google and Indiana Michigan Power. Google agreed to cut power use during grid strain and share clean energy capacity in exchange for discounted rates, preventing grid upgrades that customers would otherwise pay for.

Projects Denied or Delayed

Prince William County, VA: The developer behind the Digital Gateway ended its appeal, effectively closing the path forward for the world's largest proposed data center corridor. The Board of Supervisors had already withdrawn from the appeal after spending $1.72 million in taxpayer funds.
Killeen, TX: The Planning and Zoning Commission denied a conditional use permit for ONMINE's $30 million data center. The City Council will vote on whether to move forward in June.
Rochelle, IL: City Council rejected a proposal from Midwest Power Investors and LFF Industrial that would have required 48 MW initially, expanding to 150 MW.
Box Elder County, UT: Commissioners tabled Kevin O'Leary's "Stratos Project," a 40,000-acre campus requiring 7.5 GW of on-site power, after critics raised concerns about the Great Salt Lake. Developers said the facility would use closed-loop cooling. The matter returns May 4.

💬 Catch Up on Discussions

woman reading book — Photo by Sincerely Media / Unsplash

Denver, CO: City Council introduced a bill to halt all new data center construction for up to one year. Denver currently has no regulations governing data center energy use, water, noise, or placement. A second reading and public hearing are scheduled for May 18.
Michigan: DTE Energy said it will freeze customer rates for at least two years if Oracle's $16 billion OpenAI campus comes online by late 2027. DTE expects the data center to generate $300 million in additional revenue. The utility is also seeking a 9.7% monthly bill increase beginning next year.
Alaska: Lawmakers have about three weeks to decide whether to offer tax incentives or ban data centers altogether. A University of Alaska Fairbanks analysis found high electricity costs, fossil fuel reliance, and overseas data delivery costs limit the state's competitiveness.
Botetourt County, VA: Google faces growing opposition over a planned campus that would initially need 2 million gallons of water per day and could require up to 8 million. Google purchased the parcel for $14.1 million and says it will pay for all water infrastructure.
Spartanburg, SC: NorthMark requested a ninefold power increase to 450+ MW for its data center. The Southern Environmental Law Center questioned whether the company and county officials had been transparent about the project's full scale.
Hanover County, VA: Supervisors eliminated a 45-cent-per-$100 data center equipment tax from the FY27 budget, planning to reinstate it at a potentially higher rate of up to $3 per $100. A public hearing is scheduled for June 24.
Hermantown, MN: Google is seeking a $33.5 million tax abatement for a data center that would cost $130 million in sewer and water infrastructure. The City Council votes May 4. Residents and an environmental nonprofit are suing over the environmental review.
Kenilworth, NJ: CoreWeave's $1.8 billion AI data center is already under construction on a former Merck site, and residents say they only learned about it recently. A petition to halt construction has drawn over 4,000 signatures. The planning board approved the project in May 2025 with no public comment.
Niles, OH: Residents are collecting signatures for a constitutional amendment that would cap data centers at 25 MW statewide. They need 413,000 valid signatures from 44 counties by July 1 for the November ballot.
Chesapeake, VA: The city is exploring zoning amendments that would make data centers a conditional use near residential areas. More than 27,000 residential parcels sit within 500 feet of eligible land.
Adamstown, MD: Residents filed a judicial review challenging a state air quality permit for 99 diesel generators at Amazon's Bauxite I campus, arguing the Maryland Department of the Environment failed to consider health impacts from diesel particulate matter.
Indianapolis, IN: A public forum was held on DC Blox's proposed $2 billion, 150-acre data center. The project would create 600 construction jobs but fewer than 40 permanent positions. A public hearing is set for June 11.
Middlesex Township, PA: The planning commission recommended approval of data center plans. The board of supervisors will make a final decision on May 6.
Piedmont, OK: Residents pushed back on a data center rezoning, citing aquifer and water pressure concerns. A resident asked for the rezoning application to be removed from the May 4 agenda.
Lansing, NY: The planning board reviewed TeraWulf's proposed 438-acre Cayuga Data Campus but said the application is incomplete. Public comments will not be accepted until a completed application is filed.
Bowie County, TX: TexAmericas Center and Potentia Development unveiled "Project Big Pine", a $3.5 billion, 500-acre AI and data campus. The project would use behind-the-meter power with a 345 kV transmission line adjacent to the property.

📅 Watch out for

a close up of a calendar on a table — Photo by Road Ahead / Unsplash

Box Elder County, UT: Commissioners take up Stratos Project again, May 4.
Hermantown, MN: City Council votes on Google development agreement and tax abatement, May 4.
Middlesex Township, PA: Board of supervisors final vote on data center plans, May 6.
Denver, CO: Second reading and public hearing on moratorium, May 18.
Indianapolis, IN: Public hearing on DC Blox project, June 11.
Hanover County, VA: Public hearing on new data center equipment tax rate, June 24.
Killeen, TX: City Council vote on ONMINE data center, June.
Niles, OH: Constitutional amendment signature deadline, July 1.

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