Data Centers: Weekly Briefing // Jun 22-25, 2026

📋 This Week's Decisions

State Legislation

• Pennsylvania: The state House passed a pair of data center bills in broadly bipartisan votes. The first, House Bill 2496, lets municipalities enact a six-month moratorium on new data center development while they update zoning, and passed 201 to 1. The second, reflecting Gov. Josh Shapiro's plan, would condition data centers' tax benefits and permitting help on meeting standards including securing their own power, paying for electrical upgrades, limiting water and noise, and creating jobs. A third bill ending data center tax breaks entirely cleared the Appropriations Committee Wednesday evening, with a full vote set for Thursday.

Moratoriums Approved

• Spokane, WA: The City Council approved a one-year emergency moratorium on new large data centers Monday, blocking any project drawing more than 25 megavolt-amperes. Councilman Zack Zappone amended the measure to close a loophole in the Seattle ordinance it was modeled on, refocusing the definition on the activity rather than the building.
• Knox County, TN: The County Commission approved a one-year moratorium halting construction, operation, and permitting of new facilities through at least June 30, 2027. The resolution defines a data center broadly, including AI and cryptocurrency mining or blockchain computing.
• Henry County, IL: The County Board approved a 12-month moratorium Thursday, alongside a separate pause on carbon sequestration. Board member Jill Darin described the move as proactive; to the county's knowledge, no landowners have been contacted about a data center.
• La Crosse County, WI: The Board of Supervisors approved an 18-month moratorium on new data center decisions and development Thursday, pausing county action while a special committee studies the industry's impacts.
• Norman, OK: The City Council approved a one-year moratorium during a five-hour meeting, suspending new applications until June 9, 2027. In the same meeting the council rejected a proposed Sooner Mall tax rebate, and one attendee was escorted out by police after a shouting exchange.
• Morgan County, AL: The Commission approved a 12-month moratorium Tuesday, aiming to block a bitcoin mining facility proposed by Sovereign Gazelle near Somerville. State Sen. Arthur Orr said he's drafting a local bill that could require data centers to locate in industrial parks.
• Carbondale, IL: The City Council adopted a one-year moratorium Tuesday, after a May community meeting raised concerns about water, land use, noise, and utility costs, and after the Illinois General Assembly failed to pass the Power Act in its spring session.
• Cullman, AL: The City Council adopted a temporary moratorium June 22, citing Birmingham's six-month and Leeds' one-year versions as precedent. The council also took up an ordinance to prohibit data centers outright but took no action, since it first has to go to the Planning Commission.
• Asheville, NC: The City Council approved a one-year moratorium Tuesday, pausing new development while the city writes rules. Asheville has no specific definition or zoning for data centers and cited power, water, noise, and heat concerns.
• Cache County, UT: The County Council approved a 180-day moratorium in unincorporated areas June 23, with the backlash in nearby Box Elder County fresh in members' minds. No developer has approached the county; the Logan Municipal Council meets June 30 to consider a similar move.

Regulations Passed

• Lewisville, TX: The City Council approved an ordinance June 15 requiring AI data centers to obtain a special-use permit and prohibiting them in residential areas. Data centers are allowed only in light industrial, warehouse, and heavy industrial districts, with two public hearings required before one can open.

Projects Approved

• LaPorte, IN: Microsoft broke ground on a data center campus the mayor says surpasses all private investment in the city's history combined, topping $1 billion. Microsoft plans three buildings by 2029, then three more, with 11 additional structures planned on 1,300 adjacent acres. Having declined tax abatement nationwide, the company expects to deliver tens of millions annually to the city and is paying $17 million for more than 100 acres of municipal land.

Projects Denied/Withdrawn

• Citrus County, FL: The Planning and Development Commission voted to recommend denying a proposal to expand an industrial park to 1,356 acres, siding with residents after a nine-hour meeting. The Deltona Corporation couldn't say definitively what would go there, floating a hyperscale facility drawing 450 to 500 megawatts and up to 140,000 gallons of water in its first year. More than 200 residents turned out and every speaker opposed; the County Commission has final say, expected July 14.

💬 Catch Up on Discussions

• Yellowstone County, MT: Opponents submitted a ballot initiative seeking some control over data centers, where Quantica hopes to build near the Broadview substation. Quantica's applications total 8,835 megawatts, about five times what NorthWestern Energy owns statewide; if the initiative qualifies, residents could vote in November.
• Lake County, IL: The County Board voted to pause data center approvals in unincorporated areas, directing the Zoning Board of Appeals to hold a hearing on an eight-month moratorium and authorizing staff to halt application review for up to four months. The full eight-month pause is not yet imposed.
• Elk River, MN: The City Council took no action on a proposed 33-megawatt data center at a June 15 hearing dominated by opposition, continuing the matter to July 6. Developer Michael Margulies wants to convert a vacant 62,000-square-foot facility using closed-loop glycol cooling; the city's utility says it has ample capacity.
• Xenia, OH: The City Council introduced a one-year moratorium, extended from six months at the mayor's request, with a vote and public hearing set for June 25. If approved, the ordinance would take effect July 25.
• Emporia, KS: City leaders are drafting water regulations ahead of the proposed Flint Hills Digital Campus, working to create a class of large water users and stronger financial security from developers. A special planning meeting and hearing on a digital overlay district was scheduled.
• Whitley County, IN: Planners opened a public listening session June 24 to shape potential zoning before any formal proposals arrive. No applications have been filed; written comments are open through July 6.
• Hillsboro and Washington County, OR: 1000 Friends of Oregon and allies sued over property tax breaks granted to 17 data centers, alleging the city rushed approvals to beat a state moratorium that took effect June 6. Some companies stacked applications in successive five-year intervals to lock in reduced bills for decades.
• Pittsburg County, OK: Commissioners tabled two tax incentive districts tied to IREN's 2,000-acre Project Emerald, sending the matter back to a review committee. The final hearing drew roughly 200 people, with a clear majority opposed.
• Inver Grove Heights, MN: The City Council abruptly adjourned Monday before a scheduled moratorium vote, prompting boos, and rescheduled for Friday at 8 a.m. A council member cited "confidential" new information received at 4 p.m. that day; the developer has threatened legal action.
• Mankato, MN: The city is rushing an interim ordinance for a one-year moratorium, accelerated after an outside party asked about the city's code. A public hearing is set for July 13; the language was broadened to cover other resource-heavy industrial users.
• Piedmont, OK: Residents packed City Council chambers to oppose the Cloverleaf campus, which the Planning Commission recommended for denial three weeks ago. A Cloverleaf rep said the campus would draw up to 1.4 gigawatts and pay $9 million a year; the discussion was rescheduled to late July.
• Adamstown, MD: A Frederick County judge kept a data center zone referendum off the November ballot, vacating the Board of Elections' approval. A citizen group that collected over 20,000 signatures is appealing to the state Supreme Court, with oral arguments set for June 30.
• Neptune Township, NJ: The Township advanced an ordinance on first reading prohibiting both data centers and ICE detention centers, joining measures in Asbury Park and Red Bank. Second reading and a vote are set for July 13.
• Kansas City, MO: A Miami developer filed plans for a 20-story, 384-foot data center tower downtown, about 140,880 square feet with a ground-floor coffee shop. Staff review was set for June 30, with a City Plan Commission hearing Aug. 5.
• Box Elder County, UT: Utah Senate President J. Stuart Adams lost his GOP primary Tuesday, ending a 20-year career, after helping approve the Stratos data center as chair of the Military Installation Development Authority. Both Box Elder commissioners also trailed in their primaries; a 180-day moratorium they passed this month won't touch the roughly 20,000-acre Stratos Project.
• New Albany, IN: The Plan Commission recommended a one-year moratorium Tuesday, sending it to the city council for a July decision. One developer has expressed interest, but the proposed floodplain site near the Ohio River drew concern.
• Jefferson County, AL: The Commission is moving toward a moratorium, with the county attorney set to bring a measure Thursday. The county manager said a de facto moratorium already exists since the land use plan must be updated first; some commissioners worry a broad pause could stall the JeffMet McCalla industrial park.
• Ohio County, WV: Hundreds packed an impromptu town hall in Warwood over Silicon Energy's plans for the former Centre Foundry site, which would expand to 100 megawatts. Del. Shawn Fluharty said House Bill 2014 strips local control and exempts high-impact data centers from local ordinances.
• Montana: A wide range of parties moved to intervene in NorthWestern Energy's data center tariff case before the Public Service Commission, including Gov. Greg Gianforte on behalf of DEQ and the City of Missoula. No hearing date has been set.
• Hoffman Estates, IL: Residents from three communities protested a proposed rezoning of the 186-acre Plum Farms property, calling the industrial designation a smoke screen for a data center. The plan commission recommended against it June 3; the village board takes it up July 6.
• Hanover County, VA: Supervisors voted to delay any increase to the tax rate on data center equipment, which had been weighed at up to $3 per $100 of assessed value, up from $0.45. The board opted to study the industry's financial impact first.
• Sand Springs, OK: Land at the center of a proposed Google data center was in court Wednesday as a judge weighed a motion to dismiss a conservation group's suit. Land Legacy, which holds an easement on 270 of the 780 acres, argues the landowner has no right to build there; a ruling is expected by Monday.
• Solon Township, MI: The Planning Commission tabled a fifth draft of a zoning ordinance Wednesday after residents packed a hearing to oppose the 800-acre Project Peninsula. A six-month moratorium ends in August, and residents are asking to extend it.
• Mount Shasta, CA: An online petition is urging the city to reject a data center at the former Crystal Geyser plant. The city manager said that unless the developer does something other data centers don't, he couldn't imagine it being good for the community; the site sits in Siskiyou County, which the city is trying to annex.
• Lynn Haven, FL: The City Commission directed staff to study data center standards for its land development codes, with the city manager estimating a 60-to-90-day timeline to research, draft, and review language.
• Nash County, NC: The county began work on development standards Wednesday, joining more than two dozen North Carolina communities. Proposed rules would create a data centers land use category, permit them only in General Industrial zoning with a special use permit, and set separation distances from residences.

📅 Upcoming Meetings

• Xenia, OH: Moratorium vote and public hearing, June 25 (effective July 25 if approved).
• Inver Grove Heights, MN: Rescheduled moratorium meeting, Friday June 26 at 8 a.m.
• Logan, UT: Municipal Council considers a moratorium, June 30.
• Adamstown, MD: State Supreme Court oral arguments on the referendum, June 30 at 10 a.m.
• Kansas City, MO: Staff review of the tower proposal, June 30; City Plan Commission hearing, Aug. 5.
• Sand Springs, OK: Judge's ruling on the motion to dismiss expected by Monday, June 29.
• Elk River, MN: Continued City Council hearing, July 6.
• Hoffman Estates, IL: Village board takes up the Plum Farms rezoning, July 6.
• Mount Shasta, CA: Siskiyou County meeting, July 7 in Yreka.
• Citrus County, FL: County Commission final vote, July 14 (unless delayed to November).
• Mankato, MN: Public hearing on the one-year moratorium, July 13.
• Neptune Township, NJ: Second reading and vote on the prohibition ordinance, July 13.

🎏 Finds from This Week

A new study just dropped...

Do data centers actually raise your power bill?

Have Data Centers Raised Your Electric Bill? Causal Evidence from the United States

We estimate that data centers caused average retail electricity rates to fall modestly in the United States from 2015 to 2024 using an instrumental variables approach. Despite prevailing sentiment, the finding is consistent with economic reasoning: existing large power system fixed costs, economies of scale in transmission and distribution, and declining unit costs for generation imply that durable demand growth lowers average prices. We find patterns of economies of scale for transmission, distribution, and generation costs as well as within and across retail customer classes. We caution that future supply constraints could reverse the effect.

arXiv.orgAsa Watten

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Microsoft breaks ground on a $1B-plus LaPorte campus while Citrus County rejects a 1,356-acre industrial park and pauses spread from Illinois to Montana.

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