Every morning we look for what changed: new studies, local votes, utility filings, company announcements and legislation. Each item is tagged with the argument it touches and which side it strengthens, and includes a note on what to check before you repeat it. RSS
The Mount Pleasant town council approved a moratorium on new data center applications and permits, extending the length from the originally recommended 120 days to two years. The pause runs through October 2028 unless council acts earlier, and it applies to facilities of at least one megawatt. Council members said the extra time is needed to study where data centers should be allowed under the town zoning code and comprehensive plan.
Live 5 NewsLocal opposition and consentSiting, zoning and standards
Check it: The two year window is longer than most local moratoria and starts without a specific project in review, so its effect depends on whether permanent rules replace it before 2028.
The Milwaukee Common Council unanimously approved a one year pause on new data center construction and expansion while city staff draft permanent zoning rules. The pause ends early if permanent rules are adopted sooner, and state law allows a six month extension. The business group Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce opposed the pause, saying it discourages investment, while the mayor and sponsoring alderman said it was needed to study noise, energy use, water use and air quality.
Urban MilwaukeeLocal opposition and consentSiting, zoning and standards
Check it: The pause expires in one year or when permanent rules are adopted, whichever is first, so this is not a permanent ban.
The Fort Wayne, Indiana city council voted 4 to 4 on the proposed one year moratorium on new data centers, which killed the measure because a majority is required to pass. A companion proposal to create a data center task force also failed, 3 to 5. The sponsor had argued now was the right time to pause while the city studies impacts, while opponents said a broad pause could sweep in schools and hospitals.
21Alive NewsLocal opposition and consentLaws, bills and regulation
Check it: A tie vote defeated the moratorium under council rules, and the Google Fort Wayne project already under construction was never covered by the proposal.
The Elizabeth City, North Carolina council voted unanimously for an 18 month pause on data center applications while the city attorney reviews the length and city staff study rules. No data center project is currently proposed in the city, and officials said they wanted to act proactively. The council took public comment from residents concerned about water supply, electrical grid impact and noise.
The Daily AdvanceLocal opposition and consentSiting, zoning and standards
Check it: The 18 month length is tentative and may be shortened pending the city attorney review.
The Lowndes County, Alabama commission approved a development and tax agreement with Cloverleaf Infrastructure for Project Red Clay, a 1.5 gigawatt data center near Burkeville along Highway 80. The company projects 225 permanent jobs, about $124 million annually in combined state and local taxes, and roughly $70 million a year for county schools, with construction possibly beginning in the first quarter of 2027. Residents have opposed the project for months over its proximity to the Selma to Montgomery historic trail and concerns about noise, water and air pollution.
WSFAJobsLocal property tax revenueLocal opposition and consent
Check it: The jobs and tax numbers come from the developer, not an independent review, and construction has not started.
Oracle renewed its request to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to speed approval of the 17.8 mile Green Chile pipeline that would supply natural gas for the 2.5 gigawatt Project Jupiter data center near El Paso. In its letter, Oracle cited peak construction employment and economic output figures for Dona Ana County. The pipeline operation date has slipped to February 2027 after local opposition forced the developer to reroute around state land, and environmental groups and the New Mexico attorney general have asked FERC to broaden its environmental review.
BloombergLaws, bills and regulationAir quality and on-site powerAI race and national security
Check it: The jobs and economic output figures come from Oracle, and FERC has not yet ruled on the expedited review request.
The Washington Post reports that data center siting on federal public land, which makes up about 80 percent of Nevada, has become a defining issue in the state governor race. Republican Governor Joe Lombardo supports streamlined approvals when communities back them, while Democratic challenger Attorney General Aaron Ford has pledged to block such projects on public land. The piece centers on the stalled Townsite project near Boulder City, where a federal board tossed the approval over an outdated environmental review.
The Washington PostSiting, zoning and standardsLocal opposition and consentLaws, bills and regulation
Check it: A federal judge has halted Townsite construction, so this is a live legal question, not a settled policy.
PJM issued a Maximum Generation Alert for October 13 and extended it through October 14 due to unseasonably warm weather, equipment outages and heavy transmission construction, forecasting demand near 111,500 MW. Under an emergency order from the US Department of Energy, PJM may, as a last resort before a Level 3 Energy Emergency Alert, direct data centers and other large loads to run their on site backup generators. PJM also called on demand response to reduce load.
PJM Inside LinesCapacity prices and grid costsFlexible loadAir quality and on-site power
Check it: The DOE order is an emergency authority tied to Energy Emergency Alerts, not a routine rule change, and PJM did not report whether it actually dispatched the backup generators.
A coalition of 185 community, labor, climate and environmental justice groups sent a letter to congressional leaders opposing provisions in the Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act of 2026 that the groups say would speed hyperscale data center approvals by rolling back the Clean Water Act, National Environmental Policy Act and Endangered Species Act. The signers include Food and Water Watch, Earthjustice allies and local anti data center groups. Supporters of the broader permitting package say it accelerates needed clean energy and transmission build out.
Center for Biological DiversityLaws, bills and regulationSiting, zoning and standardsLocal opposition and consent
Check it: This is a coalition letter, not a vote count, so it signals opposition but does not change the bill status.
The Westfield, Massachusetts Planning Board denied the request from Servistar to extend by three years the special permit for a $4 billion data center project first approved in 2021. The city has a separate 365 day moratorium on new data centers that had exempted Servistar. Residents at a September hearing raised noise and environmental concerns and said they had been excluded from early discussions.
WWLPLocal opposition and consentNoise, appearance and rural character
Check it: Denial of the extension does not block Servistar from reapplying, but any new application would face the moratorium.
Wapakoneta, Ohio administrators publicly described a $600 million, 50 megawatt proposal from Colocation Technology Services LLC for a 30 acre site at the West Central Ohio Industrial Center, with potential expansion to 70 acres and 200 megawatts. The city says talks are preliminary, with no application filed and no nondisclosure agreement. The developer projects 25 permanent jobs and 200 construction workers and describes a closed loop cooling system.
LimaOhio.comJobsWater useSecret contracts and disclosure
Check it: Nothing is approved yet, and the water, job and power figures come from the developer's description of the proposal.
Enerflex said it was contracted to design and build more than one gigawatt of natural gas fired behind the meter power units for a large North American data center development, raising its behind the meter backlog over 1.75 gigawatts with deliveries through 2028. The company did not name the data center customer or site. Shares rose about 13 percent on the announcement.
BOE ReportHow much electricity data centers useAir quality and on-site powerCapacity prices and grid costs
Check it: Enerflex did not disclose the customer or state, so it is not possible yet to connect this gas capacity to a specific project or environmental review.
Voters in Pataskala, Ohio will decide November 3 whether to amend the city charter to ban new data centers of 25 megawatts or more. Residents put the measure on the ballot by petition after the city council rejected an Aligned data center proposal in August. The question was drafted with language from Conserve Ohio, a coalition pushing for a statewide ban.
NBC4 ColumbusLocal opposition and consentLaws, bills and regulation
Check it: A charter amendment is binding and harder to reverse than a council moratorium, but it has not yet been voted on.
Attorney General Kris Mayes will host a public town hall on data centers in Mesa, Arizona on October 14, part of her office's continuing push for a statewide pause on new approvals while a plan is developed to manage energy and water impacts. The event follows her office's focus on Menlo Digital's proposed Ahwatukee project and resident objections there.
EIN PresswireLocal opposition and consentLaws, bills and regulationWater use
Check it: A town hall is an outreach event and does not by itself change state policy, which still rests with the governor and legislature.
Dover City Council voted unanimously October 13 to impose an 18-month moratorium on applications for data centers that use more than 30 megawatts, which the council compared to about 24,000 homes of electricity. Supporters said the pause lets staff study power, water and rate effects; the ordinance's sponsor said it is exploratory and not a permanent no.
Spotlight DelawareLocal opposition and consentSiting, zoning and standardsWho pays for the grid buildout
Check it: Confirm the vote date, 18-month length and the 30 MW threshold in the final ordinance, since the pause is time limited and could be lifted after study.
Shelby County commissioners on October 12 narrowly advanced the first reading of a proposed 12-month pause on data center development in unincorporated parts of the county, by a 5-4-4 vote with four members abstaining. The county measure runs parallel to a separate Memphis city moratorium that returns for a third reading on October 20.
Action News 5Local opposition and consentSiting, zoning and standards
Check it: A first reading is not a final adoption; wait for the second and third readings before treating the Shelby County pause as in effect.
The reporting examines how the 2023 Sackett v. EPA ruling narrowed federal Clean Water Act jurisdiction and let five Indiana data centers, including Amazon's Project Rainier in New Carlisle and Google's Project Zodiac in Fort Wayne, proceed without federal wetland permits that would have required broader review and public input. State level review still applies but has lower public engagement requirements. Amazon says it is restoring more wetland acreage than it fills at Rainier.
Indiana Public MediaWater useSiting, zoning and standardsLocal opposition and consent
Check it: The permit shortcut is a federal legal change, not a state regulator decision, so Indiana rules still apply.
Charlotte, North Carolina council held a packed public hearing on a proposal to extend the city's data center moratorium through October 2027, with residents urging an extension and building trade union members urging it be lifted to protect construction work. The current pause expires November 5. The council is set to vote on the extension October 26.
WUNCLocal opposition and consentJobs
Check it: This was a public hearing, not a vote, and the council has not yet decided whether to extend the pause.
Microsoft filed a revised plan on October 12 that would cut its Mount Pleasant campus from nine buildings to seven while raising total floor area to about 5.88 million square feet. The company told the village the change speeds development, but the filing reduces projected taxable value for the parcel by about 1.9 billion dollars; the plan commission takes it up October 14.
Daily ReporterLocal property tax revenueState tax breaksSiting, zoning and standards
Check it: Compare the revised taxable value with Mount Pleasant's earlier estimates, since changes in assessed value affect how much the village and school district collect.
Quantum Maryland filed suit against Frederick County on October 12, alleging the county executive paused new data center applications for political reasons tied to the election. County Executive Jessica Fitzwater denied the claim and called the suit intimidation; a separate 110 million dollar community benefits agreement for the Frederick Digital Campus remains in place.
Baltimore SunLocal opposition and consentLaws, bills and regulationSecret contracts and disclosure
Check it: Watch for the complaint itself and the county's answer, since a lawsuit allegation is not a finding and the moratorium's legal status will turn on the court record.
The Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission on October 7 unanimously approved AES Indiana's plan to build solar, battery storage and transmission to serve a planned 390 MW Google data center in Monrovia, with AES estimating about 1.3 billion dollars in infrastructure spending. AES and the commission said the deal is structured so that Google covers the costs and existing customers see projected savings of about 770 million dollars over the project's life.
WFYIWho pays for the grid buildoutCapacity prices and grid costsJobs
Check it: Read the IURC order and the signed contract to confirm which costs are legally assigned to Google and whether the projected 770 million dollar customer savings depend on load levels that may not materialize.
At an October 12 hearing, Charlotte residents urged the council to extend the current moratorium through October 2027, while labor union speakers asked the council to let it expire November 5 so union construction work can proceed. The council is expected to vote on the extension on October 26.
WBTVLocal opposition and consentJobs
Check it: The current pause expires November 5; the October 26 vote decides whether it is extended, so the headline reflects public comments, not a final decision.
The Lantern summarized recent Kentucky activity: Lexington extended its data center construction pause, Mercer County rejected regulations that would have allowed a hyperscale site next to a coal plant, and the Carroll County ethics commission opened an investigation into council votes connected to a proposed 9.6 billion dollar campus near Carrollton. A state lawmaker said he is preparing data center legislation for the next session.
Kentucky LanternLocal opposition and consentSecret contracts and disclosureSiting, zoning and standards
Check it: Each item has its own status; the ethics investigation is a procedural step and does not establish wrongdoing by any official.
Forbes writes up Monitoring Analytics, PJM's independent market monitor, saying 4,016.9 MW of data center load had been canceled or delayed as of September 21, which equals 42 percent of the growth in data center demand PJM had forecast between the 2026 to 2027 and 2028 to 2029 delivery years. The industry says the pipeline is still large and backup generation is needed, while critics say the number shows PJM has been planning for load that never arrives, which drove up the record capacity auction price.
ForbesEfficiency and forecastsHow much electricity data centers useCapacity prices and grid costsWho holds the risk
Check it: Read the market monitor's own tally and note what time window the 4,016.9 MW covers before using it to argue either side.
Taylor, Texas, approved a development agreement and annexation on October 9 for the up to 1 gigawatt Taylor Technology Campus by PowerHouse Data Centers and Big Watt Digital, which will be powered by an on-site natural gas plant. In Casa Grande, Arizona, the planning commission on October 1 approved a conditional use permit for the 954 acre Grande Valley campus with a water cap of 300 acre feet and fuel cells for primary power.
Commercial Property ExecutiveJobsLocal property tax revenueWater useAir quality and on-site power
Check it: Approval of a development agreement is not a construction start, and both campuses rely on on-site fossil generation that triggers separate air permits.
Meta published an October 11 blog post framing responses to concerns about data center water use, local costs and electricity bills, pointing readers to its own reporting on water replenishment and tax contributions. Critics pointed out that the post leaves out independent studies that find rate increases in some markets.
Social Media TodayWater useWho pays for the grid buildoutLocal property tax revenue
Check it: The post is a company statement; compare its water and bill numbers to utility filings and independent studies before citing them.
The report says Indiana's construction workforce has grown 37 percent in a decade to 181,300 workers in August 2026, Google expects to employ about 5,000 construction workers daily across three Indiana sites, Meta's Lebanon project expects 4,000 skilled workers at peak, and the Indiana State Building and Construction Trades Council added about 12,000 members in two years, with at least 18,000 members on data center projects in 2026. Industry leaders say the trades still may not keep pace with demand.
21Alive News (WPTA)Jobs
Check it: These are construction jobs that last the length of a project, not permanent operating jobs; ask how many of the 18,000 are still on data center sites in five years.
NorthPoint Development has offered Hazle Township residents an individual payment of up to $10,000 in exchange for support of a 1,300 acre, $165 million campus of 15 data center buildings and a substation. Residents in nearby Sugarloaf Township are facing eminent domain notices for a high voltage line that would feed the project. Local Republicans and Democrats are organizing together against the project in the lead up to the Pennsylvania gubernatorial election.
FortuneLocal opposition and consentSiting, zoning and standardsSecret contracts and disclosure
Check it: Payment offers are from the developer and are not yet accepted; the project still needs permits under Pennsylvania's new GRID executive order.
FERC on October 9 accepted the pieces of PJM's large load proposal that define a large load as 50 MW or more at a single site and set up a mandatory registry, both effective October 12. FERC rejected the parts of PJM's filing that would have required new large loads to accept curtailment during tight hours or bring their own new generation, saying those provisions exceeded PJM's authority.
Utility DiveCapacity prices and grid costsFlexible loadLaws, bills and regulation
Check it: Read FERC's order itself before relying on the headline, because the registry rules take effect immediately but the questions about who gets curtailed and who pays stay unresolved.
Bloomberg argues that data center demand has become a defining political issue heading into the US midterms, with voters near significant data center activity seeing larger power bill increases than voters elsewhere. The piece cites Data Center Watch's count that local opposition blocked or delayed at least 120 projects worth almost 200 billion dollars in the first half of 2026.
BloombergWho pays for the grid buildoutCapacity prices and grid costsLocal opposition and consentLaws, bills and regulation
Check it: Bloomberg's regional price comparison is not causal proof; check whether a given rate increase was driven by data centers, by fuel costs, or by a specific capacity auction result.
Quantum Maryland LLC, managed by Catellus Maryland, filed a 67 page complaint in Frederick County Circuit Court asking the court to overturn the county's moratorium on new data center applications through July 2027 and to allow its applications to proceed. The suit names County Executive Jessica Fitzwater and the planning commission and alleges the pause was driven by election politics and derailed a $500 million land transaction. Fitzwater posted on Facebook that she will fight the lawsuit and called the developer's claims false.
WJLA ABC-7Local opposition and consentSiting, zoning and standardsLaws, bills and regulation
Check it: This is one side of a civil complaint; the county has not yet responded in court and the moratorium remains in effect for now.
The 2024 bipartisan Kansas law offering sales tax and other breaks to large data center projects has become a central issue in the 2026 gubernatorial race, with candidates split on whether to amend or defend it. A separate 2026 bill that would have prohibited large data centers in drought-affected counties died earlier this year.
Kansas ReflectorState tax breaksWater useLaws, bills and regulation
Check it: The 2024 statute is still law and incentive dollars continue to flow; campaign positions on repeal are proposals, not changes to current policy.
Senators Elizabeth Warren, Richard Blumenthal and Chris Van Hollen released a report titled Power and Profits based on information from Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft, CoreWeave, Digital Realty and Equinix. The senators say the companies are not covering the full grid costs their new AI data centers trigger and continue to pursue state tax exemptions and nondisclosure agreements with local officials. The companies dispute parts of the senators' characterization and point to their own community and infrastructure spending.
U.S. Senator Elizabeth WarrenWho pays for the grid buildoutSecret contracts and disclosureState tax breaks
Check it: The report is written by three Democratic senators; read the responses from each named company before treating specific numbers as agreed.
County Judge Joanna MacKenzie confirmed a planned $15 billion data center on roughly 24,000 private acres in the Desert Haven area, backed by Los Angeles based Kaufman and Company with other partners. The developer told the county the facility would generate its own electricity, take water only once at startup, and bring 800 construction jobs over four to five years and 200 to 300 permanent jobs. MacKenzie said she had very little information before the plan was confirmed and that the developer will present at a public meeting on October 27.
KVIA ABC-7 El PasoJobsSiting, zoning and standardsWater use
Check it: Numbers are from the developer, not independent review; Hudspeth County has limited staff to verify power, water and job claims.
Blackstone's Digital Infrastructure Trust, a REIT listed in May at $20 a share, closed under $17 on October 8, roughly 16 percent below its debut, as banks try to offload parts of a $38 billion construction debt package tied to Texas and Wisconsin data centers leased to Oracle. The piece highlights state moratoria, rising interest rates and liquidity caps on private REITs as risks for retail investors. Industry defenders argue the long term leases and tenant quality still support the asset class.
CNBCWho holds the riskEfficiency and forecasts
Check it: A share price decline over a few months is not the same as a credit event; check who holds the long term lease and the parent guarantees before assuming projects will fail.
Australian AI data center operator Firmus, backed by Nvidia, Blackstone and others, withdrew what would have been the country's second-largest ever share sale after prospective investors balked at the pricing and at terms letting existing holders sell more than half their stock at listing. The company said it will raise private capital instead and still plans a future Nasdaq listing. Reporting cited concerns about AI data center valuations and a possible bubble.
CNBCWho holds the riskEfficiency and forecasts
Check it: The IPO was withdrawn, not postponed by a day; check whether private financing closes and at what revised valuation before concluding anything about the broader AI buildout.
The Christian County Planning Commission's Plan Review Committee voted unanimously to recommend barring data centers from light industrial districts and allowing them only in heavy industrial (I-2) zones. The vote is a recommendation; the full planning commission and local legislative bodies would still need to adopt the text amendment.
Kentucky New EraSiting, zoning and standardsNoise, appearance and rural character
Check it: This was a committee recommendation, not a final zoning change; look for the full planning commission vote and whether Hopkinsville and Oak Grove follow suit.
The city announced that planning and consulting firm MKSK will lead a new committee set up to study data centers and propose regulations for future projects. The committee was created under a Marion County moratorium that pauses new data centers through the end of 2027.
WFYISiting, zoning and standardsLocal opposition and consent
Check it: A consulting contract and committee do not themselves set rules; watch what regulations the committee actually proposes before Marion County's moratorium expires.
With county data center moratoriums more than halfway through their 180-day terms, Iron County's planning commission has recommended new land use restrictions and Box Elder is working on data center rules and classifying previously unzoned land. The counties are among several Utah jurisdictions trying to write permanent standards before temporary pauses end.
KUERSiting, zoning and standardsLocal opposition and consent
Check it: A moratorium that expires without a new ordinance leaves zoning as it was before; check whether each county actually adopts standards before the clock runs out.
Candidates for two open seats on the Arizona Corporation Commission split on whether the regulator should launch an independent review of whether data centers are paying their own costs, with the issue sharpened by the attorney general's call for an investigation. APS is also seeking a $608.7 million rate increase.
Arizona Capitol TimesWho pays for the grid buildoutLaws, bills and regulation
Check it: Candidate positions in an election are not commission decisions; check the ACC's docket for any formal investigation order.
A Sangamon County circuit court held an October 9 hearing on the county board's motion to dismiss a lawsuit filed by neighbors against the approval of a hyperscale data center west of Thayer and Clark Roads, across from a recently completed solar farm. The judge is expected to rule on whether the case proceeds.
Illinois TimesLocal opposition and consentSiting, zoning and standards
Check it: A hearing on a motion to dismiss is not the same as a ruling; wait for the judge's written decision, and note that dismissal does not approve or disapprove the data center on its merits.
Traders on prediction market Kalshi now put the odds at about 75 percent that more than 5,100 US AI data centers will be planned or operating before 2027, up from 60 percent two weeks earlier. The contract treats planned and operating facilities together, so it tracks announcements more than built capacity.
CNBCHow much electricity data centers useEfficiency and forecasts
Check it: A prediction market tracks what traders bet on, not what is actually built; the 5,100 figure mixes planned and operating facilities, and announced capacity has historically overstated what gets delivered.
Taylor's five council members unanimously approved an annexation agreement for the Taylor Technology Campus, a 664 acre data center and on site power plant proposed by Big Watt Digital and PowerHouse Data Centers. The deal gives the city regulatory authority over water, noise and air quality and includes about $28.2 million in community investments. Officials project $1.38 billion in city tax revenue over 20 years.
KUTLocal property tax revenueJobsSiting, zoning and standardsAir quality and on-site power
Check it: The 20 year tax projection assumes the full campus is built and valued as modeled; cash flow depends on phasing.
A group of four Republican state lawmakers released a co sponsorship memo on October 9 proposing to repeal the sales and use tax exemption for data centers enacted in Wisconsin's 2023 to 2025 budget. The Legislative Fiscal Bureau has estimated the exemption has saved developers about $1.5 billion. Democratic leaders called the proposal a stunt because the session calendar leaves little time to act.
Wisconsin ExaminerState tax breaksLaws, bills and regulation
Check it: A memo circulating co sponsors is not a filed bill; no committee has scheduled action.
The U.S. Department of Energy filed a statement of position at FERC on October 7, its first filing in five years, backing an order that tells PJM to redo how it allocates the costs of a one-time 6.8 GW capacity backstop purchase for the 2028/29 delivery year. DOE said data centers and other large loads, not households and small businesses, should fund the generation and infrastructure their load requires. PJM must refile a revised cost allocation plan by October 29.
Utility DiveWho pays for the grid buildoutCapacity prices and grid costsWho holds the risk
Check it: DOE's filing is a position statement that still needs FERC and PJM action; nothing yet changes who pays.
Broe Companies, owner of the adjacent 3,000 acre Great Western Industrial Park, and other plaintiffs sued Weld County and GlobalAI alleging commissioners improperly helped the developer line up electric power, changed county rules to fit the project, and ignored three stop work orders issued after construction began without permits. Weld County commissioners had approved the 41 acre first phase 5 to 0 at the former Eastman Kodak and Carestream site outside Greeley. The county and developer have not yet filed a response in court.
BizWestLocal opposition and consentSiting, zoning and standardsSecret contracts and disclosure
Check it: This is a complaint by a competing landowner; the allegations have not been tested in court.
Aethel Energy is finishing a 1 megawatt data center near Lost Cabin and told Fremont County commissioners it could expand on the same ground into a roughly $66 billion campus powered by about 500 megawatts of on site natural gas generation. The county has no zoning code, so commissioners said they have no formal role in reviewing the larger project and learned about the plan from a courtesy notice. State permits through Wyoming's Department of Environmental Quality and Industrial Siting Council would govern the project.
Cowboy State DailySiting, zoning and standardsAir quality and on-site powerLocal opposition and consent
Check it: Only a 1 MW first phase is actually under construction; the $66 billion figure is a company plan, not a committed investment or an approved project.
A proposal by Supervisors Juli Briskman and Laura TeKrony that would have audited roughly 15 approved data center and substation projects and could have stripped grandfathering protections stalled after little support beyond the sponsors. The county attorney warned the move could trigger about $60 million in litigation claims. The board also tabled an outside auditor motion for a later meeting; the separate 12 month pause on new applications is still scheduled for October 20.
Loudoun NowLocal opposition and consentLaws, bills and regulationWho holds the risk
Check it: A tabled motion is not a defeated one; both motions can be reintroduced, and the broader 12 month pause is still on the October 20 agenda.
A South Carolina state judge dismissed a Southern Environmental Law Center backed challenge to the Valara data center on South Pine Street in Spartanburg County for lack of standing and failure to exhaust administrative remedies. The Concerned Citizens of Spartanburg County group plans to appeal. A separate SELC challenge over a formaldehyde air permit for the same project is still pending.
Fox CarolinaLocal opposition and consentAir quality and on-site powerSiting, zoning and standards
Check it: The dismissal is procedural, not on the merits; the air permit case continues and the ruling can still be appealed.
Attorney General Kris Mayes asked state regulators to publicly investigate a consumer advocate's analysis contending that between 2023 and 2025 roughly $587 million in costs tied to large energy users, principally data centers, may have been allocated through APS's Power Supply Adjuster to other customers. APS called the analysis misleading and said residential and small business customers are not paying for data center power usage.
Arizona Attorney GeneralWho pays for the grid buildoutSecret contracts and disclosure
Check it: The $587 million is a consumer advocate's calculation that APS disputes; the number is contested, and no commission finding has been made.
The AJC's Coastal Georgia bureau reports that the port of Brunswick, the nation's busiest terminal for wheeled and tracked vehicles, is benefiting as construction equipment for Georgia's data center boom flows through its docks. Local governments, fiber carriers and utilities also collect franchise fees and property taxes tied to the industry.
Atlanta Journal-ConstitutionJobsLocal property tax revenue
Check it: A busy port is good news for one coastal county; it does not tell you whether the state as a whole collects more in revenue than it gives up in sales tax exemptions.
Senators Capito, Lee, Whitehouse and Heinrich introduced the Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act of 2026, bundling permitting changes with data center cost provisions. One section would allow states and utilities to recover the full cost of transmission upgrades directly from data centers. The sponsors expect floor action in November.
AxiosLaws, bills and regulationWho pays for the grid buildoutCapacity prices and grid costs
Check it: The bill has not been voted on; a prior narrower Senate ratepayer bill failed to clear a 60 vote threshold.
After a meeting that ran past 1 a.m., Stafford County's Board of Supervisors voted 4 to 3 to rezone 121 acres for two data center buildings totaling 590,000 square feet with an on site substation. The approval granted the project a shorter than standard 750 foot residential setback. Supporters cited mitigations near I 95; critics raised noise and transmission concerns.
Potomac LocalSiting, zoning and standardsNoise, appearance and rural characterLocal property tax revenue
Check it: The 750 foot setback is Stafford's new standard; the vote shows how often it will be relaxed via mitigation findings.
At the October 8 meeting, Supervisors Jesus Eduardo Escobar and Martha Cardenas Singh said they would support a voter ballot measure allowing residents to ban data centers in unincorporated areas. District 4 Supervisor Ryan E. Kelley objected on cost grounds, estimating the measure at roughly half a million dollars. The county already has a temporary data center moratorium in place.
KPBSLocal opposition and consentLaws, bills and regulation
Check it: No ballot measure has been scheduled yet; the board must still vote to place it on a ballot.
The Luzerne County planning commission voted to send a revised data center zoning ordinance to County Council for adoption. The revised draft lowers the required setback from sensitive receptors to 1,250 feet, with a possible reduction to 1,000 feet if the applicant exceeds environmental standards. Noise limits were loosened from the original draft to 55 decibels A weighted and 65 decibels C weighted at the property line.
Times LeaderSiting, zoning and standardsNoise, appearance and rural character
Check it: The ordinance only covers 19 small municipalities that use county zoning; neighboring towns set their own rules.
Hillsboro's City Council advanced an ordinance that would limit new standalone data centers mostly to Industrial Park and Industrial Sanctuary zones, cap acreage, require public hearings and set a 1,000 foot buffer from schools. A second reading and possible final vote are set for October 20. The city's 120 day land use moratorium otherwise expires in November.
Your Oregon NewsSiting, zoning and standardsLocal opposition and consent
Check it: If the final vote slips past the moratorium's expiration, new applications could be filed in the gap.
Northfield's City Council unanimously approved an amendment setting a 200 foot setback from existing or planned trails for data processing centers, matching the required distance from homes. The prior 3,950 foot rule had effectively barred data centers anywhere in Northfield. The vote changed zoning only; no project has been proposed.
KYMN RadioSiting, zoning and standardsNoise, appearance and rural character
Check it: A zoning change creates possible sites but does not approve any specific project.
At an October 8 White House summit, the administration announced a Southeast Regional AI Computing Consortium of 15 universities across 10 states, led by Mississippi State University, Auburn, LSU, Vanderbilt and the universities of Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky and Tennessee Knoxville. The group is organized around shared leadership class AI compute infrastructure.
Mississippi State UniversityAI race and national securityJobs
Check it: The announcement names partners but no total funding, no site locations and no timeline for the shared infrastructure.
A new UMBC statewide survey released October 8 found 78 percent of Maryland likely voters oppose new data centers in the state while 13 percent support them. Respondents cited electricity costs, water quality and nearby quality of life as top concerns. The result mirrors national Pew and Gallup findings from earlier in 2026.
Fox BaltimoreLocal opposition and consent
Check it: A single state poll is a snapshot; see methodology for sample size, mode and weighting before extrapolating.
This Is Reno and three other organizations filed motions on October 7 asking a Washoe County court to unseal records in the dispute between NV Energy and data center developer Tract over two campuses near Reno that would draw more than 2 gigawatts. The utility sued Tract to keep rate and cost decisions in the public regulatory process rather than private arbitration.
This Is RenoSecret contracts and disclosureWho pays for the grid buildoutCapacity prices and grid costs
Check it: A motion to unseal is not a ruling; whether the records become public will depend on how the court weighs the parties' claims of commercial confidentiality.
Oakland's City Council voted 7 to 0 to pause approval of new data center projects for 45 days, with authority to extend. The author, Councilmember Carroll Fife, said the pause is meant to give city staff time to study water, energy and health impacts before any applications proceed. Oakland becomes the fifth Bay Area city to adopt such a pause.
The OaklandsideLocal opposition and consentSiting, zoning and standards
Check it: A 45 day pause is short; whether it is extended into a real moratorium is the real question.
Raleigh's council voted 7 to 1 to pause approvals of new large data centers for six months. The pause applies to proposed sites over 10,000 square feet or 5 megawatts and gives staff time to draft permanent rules, with a council vote on new regulations scheduled for April 6, 2027. Some residents pushed for a longer pause of up to 32 months.
CBS 17Local opposition and consentSiting, zoning and standards
Check it: A moratorium pauses applications but does not block projects already in review.
Duke Energy and parties including the Public Staff, Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft, large industrial customers and the US Defense Department filed a proposed large load tariff with the North Carolina Utilities Commission. The rate would apply to customers using at least 50 megawatts at least 80 percent of the time. The Southern Environmental Law Center said the deal falls short on cost protections.
WUNCWho pays for the grid buildoutCapacity prices and grid costsWho holds the risk
Check it: The settlement still needs North Carolina Utilities Commission approval and may change in final form.
Minutes of the FOMC's September 15 to 16 meeting, released October 7, said several participants observed that core goods prices remained elevated as effects of the AI buildout grew while tariff effects waned. Some warned the buildout could push aggregate demand past supply over the medium term. The release accompanied news coverage treating data center investment as a macro inflation factor.
Federal ReserveCapacity prices and grid costsHow much electricity data centers useWho pays for the grid buildout
Check it: The minutes describe risks and views of participants, not an official Fed finding or forecast.
Salisbury City Council unanimously approved a conditional district rezoning on October 6, allowing Trammell Crow and Flexential to build a 296,000 square foot data center on Henderson Grove Church Road. Requested power is 55 megawatts, under the district's 60 megawatt cap. The conditions include closed loop cooling, noise and setback limits.
Salisbury PostSiting, zoning and standardsWater useNoise, appearance and rural character
Check it: Closed loop cooling needs an initial fill of water; the actual draw depends on make up losses and backup systems.
Augusta commissioners split 6 to 5 to adopt a 29 page data center ordinance on second reading. A substitute motion to adopt the text as written blocked a push to add stricter noise and buffer rules. Residents pressed for an oversight committee during the hearing.
The Augusta PressSiting, zoning and standardsNoise, appearance and rural characterLaws, bills and regulation
Check it: An ordinance's effect depends on how buffers and noise rules are enforced after the first application.
Mendocino County supervisors voted 4 to 1 to extend their new data center ban until August 21, 2028, the longest allowed under California law, while exempting facilities drawing less than 3 megawatts. The dissenting supervisor said the 3 megawatt threshold was negotiated at lunch and was not fully developed. An ad hoc committee will study permanent rules.
The Mendocino VoiceLocal opposition and consentSiting, zoning and standards
Check it: The exemption below 3 megawatts allows smaller sites during the ban; the long duration is paired with that carve out.
Allen Township, Ohio trustees adopted zoning that restricts data centers to I 2 districts, requires a 1,250 foot setback from homes and caps water, noise and total load at 10,000 gallons per day, 40 decibels and 10 megawatts. Trustees also added a last minute amendment exempting data centers located in a Planned Unit Development, which could allow a pending developer to proceed.
WFINSiting, zoning and standardsWater useNoise, appearance and rural character
Check it: The PUD exemption may let a specific developer bypass the main setback and load caps; watch which site uses it.
The Raleigh City Council voted 7 to 1 to pause applications for data centers that exceed 10,000 square feet and 5 megawatts of electricity. The moratorium runs through April 6, 2027 while staff draft permanent rules. Several speakers at the public hearing asked for a 32 month pause instead.
WUNCLocal opposition and consentSiting, zoning and standardsLaws, bills and regulation
Check it: The pause covers new applications only. Confirm whether any Raleigh projects already filed before October 7 are grandfathered in.
Circuit Judge J. Derham Cole Jr. threw out a case brought by Concerned Citizens of Spartanburg County against Valara Holdings and the county, finding the group had not shown the particularized harm South Carolina law requires and had missed a 10 day window to appeal the project's zoning classification. The Southern Environmental Law Center plans to appeal and a separate dispute over formaldehyde emissions from a planned power station is still live.
WRDWLocal opposition and consentSiting, zoning and standardsAir quality and on-site power
Check it: The dismissal was on procedural grounds, not on the merits of noise, dust or health claims. Look at what the appeals court does with the standing argument.
The Brookwood City Council passed a resolution endorsing the Tuscaloosa County Economic Development Authority's deal with Applied Digital for the Delta Forge 2 AI campus. The developer projects more than 1,000 construction jobs, over 100 full time jobs and more than $440 million in community benefits and tax revenue over 20 years. Residents at a town hall last week raised questions about the campus being near a middle school.
WBRCJobsLocal property tax revenueState tax breaksNoise, appearance and rural character
Check it: The 1,000 construction jobs number is a peak, not an annual average. The $440 million figure is Applied Digital's projection, not an audited commitment.
The Louisiana Public Service Commission opened an October 7 to 9 evidentiary hearing on Entergy Louisiana's request to spend about $12.9 billion on seven gas plants, a 500 kV transmission line, solar and batteries to serve Meta's Hyperion data center in Richland Parish. Entergy and PSC staff have a settlement in hand. Opponents argue the risk to other ratepayers is too high if Meta's load does not materialize. A commission decision is scheduled for December 16.
The AdvocateWho pays for the grid buildoutWho holds the riskHow much electricity data centers useAir quality and on-site power
Check it: Look at who holds the stranded cost risk in the settlement if Meta's expansion scales back. A ratepayer protection clause only matters if it is enforceable.
The Jesup city commission approved an ordinance that permits data centers as a conditional use in light industrial districts, requires water efficient cooling and sets noise and lighting standards. A specific project is being explored at the 315 acre Wayne County Commerce Center. Residents said the rules leave gaps and the mayor said amendments are already in the works.
WSAVSiting, zoning and standardsWater useNoise, appearance and rural character
Check it: The ordinance is a conditional use framework, not a project approval; a specific developer would still have to apply, and the mayor's planned amendments could tighten or loosen the rules.
PowerCompute's Columbus, Mississippi subsidiary signed a new industrial power contract with Columbus Light and Water lifting contracted power from 8.5 to 11 megawatts under TVA's Large Data Service tariff, effective October 1. The company said locking in capacity before TVA's fiscal 2027 start avoided the new Capacity Commitment Rider of about $1.5 million per megawatt on new load above 5 megawatts.
GlobeNewswireWho pays for the grid buildoutCapacity prices and grid costsLaws, bills and regulation
Check it: The company says it avoided TVA's new capacity rider on this contract; new or expanded loads elsewhere pay the charge.
Developers filed construction plans for a $366 million data center campus in Cedar Creek, Texas, after the project cleared Governor Abbott's statewide pause on environmental permit approvals. The 498,165 square foot facility is reportedly in talks to be leased by Anthropic. Construction is targeted for late November with completion by January 2028.
Community ImpactLaws, bills and regulationSiting, zoning and standards
Check it: An Anthropic lease is reported, not confirmed by Anthropic in filings; project still needs local approvals and utility connections.
The Hallam Village Board unanimously approved a special use permit for a 35 megawatt data center at Monolith Materials' Olive Creek site, with Crusoe Energy as the co-developer. Crusoe committed to $1 million at operations, $150,000 per year for 10 years, and $150,000 for the volunteer fire department. Residents raised questions about battery storage safety, noise and enforcement.
Nebraska Public MediaJobsLocal property tax revenueNoise, appearance and rural characterLocal opposition and consent
Check it: The community payments are promises in a special use permit, not an escrow. Check what enforcement mechanism the village has if Crusoe or Monolith does not perform.
After a crowded public hearing, Lexington's Urban County Council sent proposed data center zoning rules back to the planning commission and moved to extend an existing moratorium through October 2027. Members favored a dedicated data center zoning category and new size and power caps. The current pause had been set to expire October 31.
LEX 18Local opposition and consentSiting, zoning and standardsLaws, bills and regulation
Check it: The extension and the new zoning category have not yet taken final effect. Watch what the planning commission actually recommends and whether the council keeps the size caps intact.
Loudoun supervisors tabled a proposal to end a 2025 grandfathering resolution that lets 17 pending data center applications continue under older rules. The county attorney warned that rescinding grandfathering could trigger about $60 million in developer lawsuits. The board is still set to vote October 20 on a one year freeze on new legislative applications.
FOX 5 DCLaws, bills and regulationSiting, zoning and standardsWho holds the risk
Check it: The $60 million figure is the attorney's estimate, not a filed claim. Check whether any grandfathered applicants have actually threatened to sue.
The Pennsylvania House Consumer Protection, Technology and Utilities Committee passed HB2828 unanimously, with sponsors signaling the final language will be amended before a floor vote. The bill would require data center developers to apply for electric service and pay the associated infrastructure fees before seeking zoning approval, and would push utilities toward a model rate class that assigns new build costs to large customers. The panel also advanced a separate bill addressing utility profits.
Mon Valley IndependentWho pays for the grid buildoutLaws, bills and regulationWho holds the risk
Check it: A committee vote is not law. The language is still being revised, and the full House and the Senate have to pass it before anyone's bill is protected.
Amazon Web Services submitted a preliminary land development plan for a 36 building data center campus on 1,100 acres across Center and Blacklick Townships, next to the planned 4.5 GW gas plant at the Homer City Energy Campus. Construction would proceed in four phases starting in December 2026 with full completion by 2036. AWS projects 1,500 to 2,000 operations jobs at salaries of about $80,000 to $100,000.
DatacenterDynamicsJobsHow much electricity data centers useAir quality and on-site power
Check it: The campus is tied to a new gas plant, not to the existing PJM grid. Check how its emissions and water use will be permitted and whether Pennsylvania's new large load tariff rules will apply.
Google and Constellation announced a long term agreement in which Constellation will spend over 4.3 billion dollars to upgrade 11 nuclear units in Illinois, Pennsylvania and New Jersey, adding 890 MW of capacity under a 20 year PPA with Google and supplying another 2.7 GW across PJM for 15 years. Constellation says the deal will support about 4,400 existing jobs and roughly 7,200 construction jobs, with first upgraded power expected in 2028. Supporters say it shows hyperscalers can finance new firm clean capacity, while critics note the upgrades will still take years to arrive and the 2.7 GW supply portion draws from existing fleet, not new build.
Google Cloud Press CornerAI race and national securityHow much electricity data centers useWho holds the risk
Check it: Only the 890 MW nuclear uprate is new generation and arrives in 2028 at the earliest; the 2.7 GW is existing supply contracted away from the open market.
The Memphis City Council halted its third and final reading of a proposed data center moratorium after protesters and council members clashed and a fistfight broke out in the lobby. The ordinance, which would pause new data center approvals while the city writes zoning rules, is now scheduled for Oct. 20. Opposition has focused on xAI's Colossus facility and its gas turbines in a predominantly Black neighborhood.
WSMVLocal opposition and consentSiting, zoning and standardsAir quality and on-site power
Check it: The moratorium is a pause, not a ban, and Memphis council has postponed this vote multiple times already; watch whether the Oct. 20 vote actually produces an ordinance or another delay.
The Lee County Board of Commissioners voted down a proposed 180 day moratorium on new data center applications that would not have blocked the already approved Lower Moncure Road project. Nearly 2,500 residents had signed a petition supporting a pause over power, water, noise and transparency concerns. The majority said additional projects should proceed under current rules.
The RantSiting, zoning and standardsLocal opposition and consent
Check it: The moratorium would not have changed the Lower Moncure Road project either way; it would have blocked only future applications, so this vote mostly settles the forward look, not the current controversy.
Piedmont's planning commission voted to send a proposed data center rezoning near NW 248th and Frisco Road to the City Council. The commission required additional environmental, sound, power, water and traffic studies before any final approval. A separate Cloverleaf Infrastructure data center proposal is scheduled for a council vote Oct. 26.
News 9Siting, zoning and standardsLocal opposition and consentWater use
Check it: The rezoning still has to clear the City Council; the additional studies requested are not yet complete, so the project is not approved.
The American Infrastructure Alliance, a coalition that includes OpenAI, QTS, SoftBank, Blackstone and seven unions, began its first state campaign in Indiana calling for statewide standards on noise, setbacks and ratepayer protection and against the growing list of local moratoria. The group commissioned an August poll showing roughly two thirds of Indiana residents hold negative views of data centers, with support for new facilities rising from 19 percent to 44 percent when the alliance's proposed guardrails are described. The alliance plans to extend the campaign to six other states.
Indiana Public MediaLaws, bills and regulationLocal opposition and consentSiting, zoning and standards
Check it: The polling was commissioned and paid for by the alliance itself, which represents data center developers and the unions that build them, so treat the shift from 19 to 44 percent as advocacy funded.
The Evansville City Council voted Monday evening to institute a 180 day pause on new data center applications within city limits while it studies impacts and considers zoning amendments. The city ordinance mirrors a Vanderburgh County measure adopted earlier this year. More than 20 Indiana cities and counties, including Indianapolis, now have some form of pause or ban.
Inside Indiana BusinessLocal opposition and consentSiting, zoning and standards
Check it: The pause is 180 days and does not apply retroactively to projects already in the pipeline; whether it leads to permanent rules depends on what the council does next.
The PUC filed suit in Travis County asking a judge to block the release of records identifying where data centers and crypto operations are located, arguing the information is critical infrastructure that could aid terrorists. The AG's office had ordered disclosure under the state open records law. The case comes as Governor Abbott has directed TCEQ to halt new permits and ordered reviews of water and power use.
Texas TribuneSecret contracts and disclosureSiting, zoning and standards
Check it: A ruling here will set a precedent for whether the public can know where large electricity and water users are located; the terrorism justification is contested by open government groups.
Black Hills Corp said it has signed definitive agreements with Google covering about 2.7 GW of total resource mix for a planned data center campus in Cheyenne, including roughly 1.8 billion dollars of utility invested natural gas generation and a Google funded private microgrid. The utility says structure is designed so Google covers project costs through dedicated tariffs. The deal still requires regulatory approvals in Wyoming.
Black Hills Corp investor relationsWho pays for the grid buildoutWho holds the riskHow much electricity data centers use
Check it: Whether other Black Hills customers end up subsidizing any portion of the 1.8 billion dollars depends on the final tariff language approved by the Wyoming PSC; promises in the announcement are not the same as the final order.
The Anne Arundel County Council passed Bill 63-26, a 15 month pause on new data center development that runs until January 31, 2028 or until the county adopts permanent rules. Projects already in development are exempt. An amendment to carve out national defense projects failed, over objections from backers of nearby Fort George G. Meade.
The Baltimore SunLocal opposition and consentSiting, zoning and standardsAI race and national security
Check it: The exemption language matters. Confirm which projects are considered already in development before assuming any specific site is covered or blocked.
AVAIO Digital's planned $3 billion, 452 acre campus near Appomattox, Virginia is on track to begin construction by year end as permits and the performance agreement are finalized. The project would use 50 MW on day one with room to grow much larger. Local officials estimate 150 to 280 permanent jobs across six or seven buildings.
Cardinal NewsJobsLocal property tax revenueHow much electricity data centers use
Check it: The 50 MW figure is current grid capacity, not the full build. Larger phases depend on new transmission that is not yet in service.
The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality issued a Notice of Violation to Peanut LLC, the project entity for Google's first Chesterfield County data center, documenting seven sediment runoff incidents between December 2025 and August 2026. DEQ estimates roughly 7,735 linear feet of stream channel and about 1.4 acres of wetlands were affected, with some incidents not reported within the required 24 hours. Google attributed the discharges to heavy rainfall overwhelming stormwater controls.
WWBT NBC12Water useSiting, zoning and standards
Check it: This is a notice of violation starting an enforcement process, not a final fine or finding; the eventual outcome, including any penalty, is still pending.
Beaufort County commissioners voted 6-1 to bar the county from accepting, processing or approving any data center applications for one year. The county has no proposed data center; residents asked for the pause so officials can draft rules before a project arrives.
WITNLocal opposition and consentSiting, zoning and standards
Check it: The moratorium was pre-emptive, not aimed at a specific project, so its practical effect is uncertain until one is proposed.
Village of Mahomet officials said they ended annexation discussions with Clean Cloud Energy for a proposed data center campus after about a week of public pushback. The developer said it will not seek village annexation but is still evaluating the project under Champaign County rules.
News-GazetteLocal opposition and consentSiting, zoning and standardsSecret contracts and disclosure
Check it: The village stepped back, but the developer has not canceled the project; the county path is separate.
A Goldman Sachs note raised its 2026 year-end US data center capacity estimate by 5 GW to 64 GW and cut its 2027 estimate by 5 GW to 90 GW, saying local opposition and policy fights have not yet dented the near-term buildout. Goldman forecast about 38 percent growth in data center power demand in each of 2026 and 2027.
U.S. News and World Report (Reuters)How much electricity data centers useEfficiency and forecastsLocal opposition and consent
Check it: Goldman is an investment bank with trading and advisory exposure to the sector; its forecasts have moved before and are not an official government projection.
Tribal citizens voted 261 to 83 on Saturday to impose a three-year pause on data center construction on Cheyenne and Arapaho tribal land in western Oklahoma. Tribal Governor Reggie Wassana said no agreement has been signed with any developer. Residents cited concerns about water, environmental impact, revenue sharing and transparency.
News On 6Local opposition and consentSiting, zoning and standardsWater use
Check it: Confirm the moratorium resolution language and whether it covers all tribal lands or specific jurisdictions, and whether any specific project was under negotiation.
NPR summarizes recent estimates that data centers have raised PJM customer bills, citing the PJM independent market monitor's figure of roughly $29 billion in extra costs across 67 million customers over two years and a University of Maryland analysis showing roughly $168 to $216 in added annual costs for Maryland households. The piece also notes that researchers say a clean national number is impossible because many data center deals are covered by nondisclosure agreements.
Louisville Public Media (NPR)Who pays for the grid buildoutCapacity prices and grid costsSecret contracts and disclosure
Check it: The $29 billion is a modeled estimate from one market monitor and is not an audited utility bill breakdown. Check PJM IMM's underlying report before repeating.
Reporters write that several planned data center and nuclear supplier IPOs, including SB Energy's Ohio-backed offering at a reported $50 billion valuation and Holtec's offering, have been delayed as investors question capital spending plans and demand assumptions. Industry executives say they are rethinking how to raise money in public markets.
Philadelphia Inquirer / New York TimesEfficiency and forecastsWho holds the riskHow much electricity data centers use
Check it: Delayed IPOs are not canceled IPOs. Check each company's S-1 filing to see whether a new timeline is set and what the actual pricing concerns were.
The Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council scheduled a special meeting on October 6 to take public comment on draft rules that would ban major data centers larger than 50,000 square feet across the county, cap minor facilities at 40,000 square feet and 25 megawatts, require 1,500 foot setbacks and limit noise to 30 decibels at property lines. The current moratorium expires October 31.
CivicLexSiting, zoning and standardsNoise, appearance and rural characterLaws, bills and regulation
Check it: This is a public hearing, not a final vote. Any ordinance would still need two readings before adoption and could be amended in response to industry or resident comments.
Coverage of the tribal moratorium notes residents cited an estimated 300,000 gallons per day of water use that a typical data center can require as a central concern, along with concerns about who would benefit economically. The tribal governor said community discussion must come before any project.
News 9 Oklahoma CityWater useLocal opposition and consent
Check it: The 300,000 gallons per day figure is a general industry average for medium-sized facilities, not a specific project estimate for tribal land.
Attorney General Keith Ellison filed comments with the Minnesota Public Utility Commission arguing that Xcel Energy's agreement to serve Google's proposed Pine Island data center does not adequately assign all costs to the large customer and could leave other ratepayers paying millions, and possibly more than a billion dollars. Ellison also noted that Xcel redacted most dollar amounts in filings. Xcel and Google say the deal complies with state law and that Google is funding the needed infrastructure.
MPR NewsWho pays for the grid buildoutSecret contracts and disclosureCapacity prices and grid costs
Check it: Read the AG's filed comments and the Xcel-Google special contract to see which cost categories are actually assigned to Google and which are shared.
In a follow up briefing, Garman addressed four claims he said are misconceptions about data centers, including Amazon's assertion that water use is about 0.5 percent of US industrial water and that backup generators run roughly 10 hours per year, mostly for required testing. Local officials who have signed NDAs with other operators said the policy change leaves earlier agreements in place and does not cover subcontractors.
TechCrunchSecret contracts and disclosureWater useAir quality and on-site power
Check it: The 10 hour per year generator figure is Amazon's company wide average, which can mask high use at individual sites during stress events.
EQT Real Estate held an open house for its proposed Mt. Comfort Technology Park, a 130 acre campus northwest of Indianapolis Regional Airport with up to 3.1 million square feet across multiple buildings over phases from 2027 to 2030. The developer says it will pay for new power generation and transmission, use closed loop cooling with no groundwater wells, and projects 1,500 construction jobs and about 100 to 150 permanent jobs.
Greenfield Daily ReporterJobsWater useWho pays for the grid buildout
Check it: These are developer representations at an open house; what matters is what the final zoning and economic development agreements require, not the open house pitch.
CNBC reports that community opposition to data centers is now rising in European and Asian jurisdictions, citing more than 70 European projects rejected or restricted between January and April 2026 and growing fights in places like the Netherlands, Ireland and Malaysia. The piece frames the shift as a sign that US style arguments about electricity, water and land use are becoming a global template.
CNBCLocal opposition and consentHow much electricity data centers useWater use
Check it: The 70 projects figure is cited from an industry tracker; readers should check how that database defines rejected or restricted.
Oracle announced an agreement with We Energies to buy 125 to 250 MW from the Point Beach Nuclear Plant for its $15 billion Lighthouse Campus in Port Washington. Oracle says the deal, which needs Wisconsin Public Service Commission approval, would shift about $300 million in fuel costs from 2027 to 2033 off We Energies customers.
ForbesWho pays for the grid buildoutWho holds the riskHow much electricity data centers use
Check it: The $300 million figure is Oracle's own; the deal depends on PSC approval and the final contract terms, which have not been filed.
Crusoe filed state notices on October 2 for two 759,260 square foot data center buildings along Country Road 233 in Jayton, Kent County, Texas, with a combined investment described as $4.8 billion and construction set to begin in January 2027. The buildings are described as spur sites of Project Hyper and the filings say they will use closed-loop cooling.
Data Center DynamicsHow much electricity data centers useWater useJobs
Check it: The $4.8 billion is a developer filing figure, not spent capital, and Texas's state permit freeze on data centers is still in effect. Check whether the Kent County commissioners approve a tax reinvestment zone, which they tabled on October 2.
AWS CEO Matt Garman announced the Built Together program, which commits more than $1 billion over five years to free community college, job training, home energy upgrades and water and energy projects in US data center communities. Garman also said Amazon has stopped using nondisclosure agreements with government agencies on data center projects and warned that community opposition risks the US position in the AI race.
CBS NewsLocal opposition and consentJobsSecret contracts and disclosure
Check it: Pledges are measured by what the company actually funds in named counties, not by the headline total, and the NDA change applies to government agencies, not private vendors.
The Senate Communications and Technology Committee unanimously approved Senate Bill 1408 banning future nondisclosure agreements between data center developers, local governments and state agencies, and the House Energy Committee unanimously approved House Bill 2775 requiring grid interconnection applications and fees before local zoning review, along with House Bill 2828 requiring data centers to bear the costs of any new generation, transmission and other grid upgrades. The bills still need floor votes and Senate action.
Altoona MirrorSecret contracts and disclosureWho pays for the grid buildoutWho holds the riskLaws, bills and regulation
Check it: Committee approval is only the first step; readers should check whether each bill passes the full chamber and is signed.
We Energies and Oracle announced an agreement under which Oracle would subscribe to between 10 and 20 percent of the output of the Point Beach Nuclear Plant, roughly 125 to 250 MW, to help power the 1.3 GW Lighthouse Campus. Oracle said the arrangement could save other We Energies customers about $300 million in fuel costs between 2027 and 2033, pending Wisconsin Public Service Commission approval.
Civic MediaWho pays for the grid buildoutWho holds the riskHow much electricity data centers use
Check it: The $300 million customer savings figure is Oracle's and We Energies' projection; verify against the PSC filing and intervenor testimony.
The Casa Grande Planning and Zoning Commission voted 6 to 1 on October 1 to approve a conditional use permit for the Grande Valley Industrial Data Center Campus, a 954 acre site planned to use on site natural gas fuel cells rather than a grid connection. The city received 17 emails in opposition and three in support, with speakers at the hearing raising water, drought and job quality concerns; developer estimates include 1,200 construction jobs and 445 permanent jobs.
Pinal CentralWater useJobsSiting, zoning and standards
Check it: Job and tax revenue figures come from the developer; the water cap and self generation claims should be checked against the final permit language.
The Louisiana Public Service Commission is scheduled to begin an evidentiary hearing on October 7 on whether Entergy Louisiana can build seven generators totaling 5,278 MW along with batteries and transmission to serve Meta's $50 billion Richland Parish campus, and on how cost and stranded investment risk should be allocated. The Alliance for Affordable Energy, Union of Concerned Scientists and Sierra Club are listed as participants, with a commission decision targeted for December 16.
10/12 Industry ReportWho pays for the grid buildoutWho holds the riskHow much electricity data centers use
Check it: The hearing is before an administrative law judge; the commission vote in December is what sets who pays.
The Memphis City Council is scheduled to take the third reading of a temporary moratorium on data center development on October 6, following a September delay. The ordinance would pause new approvals while the city writes zoning rules specific to hyperscale and high density computing facilities, and supporters plan a pre meeting rally targeting Elon Musk's xAI Colossus site.
HoodlineSiting, zoning and standardsLocal opposition and consentAir quality and on-site power
Check it: A third reading is scheduled but can be delayed again; readers should check whether the vote actually happens on October 6.
Mahomet residents held a community meeting on October 3 about Clean Cloud Energy's Rising Edge proposal, roughly 340 acres in unincorporated Mahomet Township within the village's extraterritorial jurisdiction. Residents raised concerns about the Mahomet Aquifer, cooling water, noise and electricity price impacts; the village board of trustees is scheduled to meet on October 13.
WCIAWater useNoise, appearance and rural characterLocal opposition and consent
Check it: No vote has been taken; aquifer impact claims should be checked against a hydrology study before being treated as settled.
The Michigan Public Service Commission voted unanimously on October 1 to conditionally approve two DTE Electric agreements serving Google's planned 1 gigawatt Van Buren Township data center. The order imposes a 20 year contract term, an 80 percent minimum billing demand and a 15 year termination payment, and requires Google to pay for up to 1,600 MW of new renewable generation and 480 MW of battery storage; Attorney General Dana Nessel had argued for a 90 percent minimum billing demand.
Michigan AdvanceWho pays for the grid buildoutWho holds the riskCapacity prices and grid costs
Check it: Check whether the 80 percent minimum billing demand and 15 year termination payment actually hold if Google scales down the site or exits early, since those terms govern how much risk sits with other DTE customers.
Amazon Web Services said it will no longer require nondisclosure agreements with local governments on data center projects and will add more than $1 billion over five years for workforce training, community college tuition, energy efficiency upgrades and local grants in US host communities. AWS also committed to annual public reporting of energy use, water use and carbon free energy share, and reiterated a 2030 water positive goal.
The HillSecret contracts and disclosureLocal property tax revenueWater useJobs
Check it: Check whether Amazon's reporting will cover specific facilities and water sources, and whether the $1 billion is new spending on top of existing commitments or re branded; also whether the NDA policy applies retroactively to signed agreements.
Oracle told the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin it intends to subscribe directly to 10 to 20 percent of output from the Point Beach nuclear plant to serve a $15 billion AI data center campus being developed with OpenAI and Vantage near Port Washington. Oracle and We Energies say the arrangement would save Wisconsin utility customers roughly $300 million in fuel costs from 2027 through 2033 if the state regulator approves it.
The Daily ReporterWho pays for the grid buildoutHow much electricity data centers useEfficiency and forecasts
Check it: Check PSC Wisconsin docket filings for the actual contract terms, since the $300 million figure is a company projection; also whether existing customers lose preferred access to Point Beach power if Oracle takes a slice.
The Casa Grande Planning and Zoning Commission voted 6 to 1 to approve a conditional use permit for a 954 acre data center campus with on site natural gas generation and battery storage near Montgomery Road, under the city's new 2025 data center ordinance. The developer has an allocation of about 300 acre feet or 97 million gallons of water per year, and 9 of 10 public speakers opposed the project amid Colorado River cuts and recent Lucid Motors layoffs. No City Council vote is required.
KJZZWater useLocal opposition and consentSiting, zoning and standardsAir quality and on-site power
Check it: Check the actual water allocation and whether it is groundwater or Central Arizona Project water, and whether on site gas generation will be subject to air permitting separate from the CUP.
A Vermont Public poll released October 2 found 64 percent of respondents support a statewide ban on large data centers and 20 percent oppose a ban, with support at 78 percent among Democrats and 48 percent among Republicans. Vermont has no major data centers and Gov. Phil Scott vetoed a 2026 data center regulation bill earlier in the year.
Vermont PublicLocal opposition and consentLaws, bills and regulation
Check it: Check the poll's methodology, sample size and question wording, and whether respondents distinguished large hyperscale sites from small enterprise data centers.
The Grande Valley conditional use permit was the first full test of Casa Grande Ordinance 3479, which the city adopted in 2025 to replace by right data center approvals in I 2 industrial zones with public hearings before the Planning and Zoning Commission. Two landowners separately sued the city over the new rules, claiming $140 million in lost property values; the city previously waived requirements for one of them to avoid a settlement payout.
HoodlineSiting, zoning and standardsLaws, bills and regulation
Check it: Check whether other Arizona cities adopt or copy Ordinance 3479, and whether the pending $140 million property rights suit against Casa Grande proceeds now that the Grande Valley permit was granted.
The Illinois Economic Policy Institute and the University of Illinois Project for Middle Class Renewal released a report modeling $57 billion in planned data center investment through 2035. They projected 121,000 total jobs, of which 2,800 are direct permanent positions, and estimated the facilities would push the average household's monthly electric bill up about $12. The authors also projected roughly $300 million per year in local property taxes once the sites are operational.
Illinois TimesJobsLocal property tax revenueWho pays for the grid buildout
Check it: ILEPI is a union aligned research group. The 121,000 figure is modeled across the whole economy, not direct hires. The $12 monthly bill estimate is also modeled.
The attorney general's office filed comments arguing Xcel Energy has not shown that its proposed electric service agreement for Google's Pine Island data center is reasonable or consistent with state law requiring that costs attributable to very large customers be assigned to those customers. The filing warns other ratepayers could face about $1 billion in net costs, not the $1.1 billion in benefits Xcel claimed, and criticizes Xcel for redacting dollar figures.
Office of Minnesota Attorney General Keith EllisonWho pays for the grid buildoutSecret contracts and disclosureWho holds the risk
Check it: This is an initial AG filing, not a PUC decision; the figures depend on contested cost assumptions Xcel has redacted from the public record.
Alabama's Senate Bill 270 took effect October 1, setting the terms under which the Public Service Commission can approve contracts for data centers that need 150 MW or more in Alabama Power territory. The law says contracts must have data centers pay the extra generation, transmission, fuel and tax costs they drive and must show benefits to other customers, but public versions of contracts remain heavily redacted and no public hearing is required.
WBRCWho pays for the grid buildoutSecret contracts and disclosureLaws, bills and regulationWho holds the risk
Check it: The cost-coverage rules are new, but the PSC still reviews redacted contracts without public hearings, so transparency protections are limited.
An advocacy roundup says the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors was scheduled to hear staff on October 6 about rescinding the 2025 resolution that grandfathered pending data center applications under old rules, with a formal vote on the 12-month data center application pause set for October 20. The pause was advanced 7-1-1 on September 16.
Loudoun Wildlife ConservancyLocal opposition and consentSiting, zoning and standardsLocal property tax revenue
Check it: This is an advocacy group's agenda summary; the October 6 hearing was procedural, and the binding vote is October 20, when carve-outs may still change.
The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission voted to issue a tentative order that would require new large loads which have not secured enough new generation to be curtailed before other customers during grid emergencies, and would bar utilities from classifying those loads as critical. The order cites a commissioned study projecting that the regional grid would fail to meet PJM reliability standards from 2027 through 2030 under its reference scenario, and opens a public comment window.
Pennsylvania Public Utility CommissionWho holds the riskWho pays for the grid buildoutFlexible load
Check it: The order is tentative, not final, and does not take effect until comments are reviewed and a final order is issued.
Public records reporting shows the Microsoft linked DataOne facility in Vineland ran 62 unpermitted tractor trailer sized gas generators for roughly 46,000 total hours between October 2025 and June 2026, with a Rutgers estimate of about 140 tons of nitrogen oxide emissions in 2025 that would place the site among the state's top five NOx sources. The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection issued a $1.07 million administrative order after a July 29 inspection.
New Jersey MonitorAir quality and on-site powerSecret contracts and disclosure
Check it: The emissions estimate is modeled by an outside expert from permit data; the operator can contest the order and the final penalty may change.
The Lone Star Infrastructure Coalition launched in Houston with QTS, NextEra Energy, Siemens Energy, the Nuclear Energy Institute, Lancium and Quanta Services, and said it will press the economic case for data center and power projects to residents, mayors and county officials. The group is led by former Texas Public Utility Commissioner Jimmy Glotfelty and formed as ERCOT works through a wave of interconnection requests that the group's own materials describe as dominated by data centers.
Crypto BriefingJobsLocal opposition and consentAI race and national security
Check it: This is an industry funded advocacy group, so job and investment numbers it circulates should be read as sourced from member companies.
The Vilas County Zoning and Planning Committee unanimously approved a 12 month moratorium on data centers, battery energy storage systems and certain large solar projects after a public hearing with no opposition from the public. The ordinance will go to the full Vilas County Board on November 10 and would exempt residential solar and home batteries, with the zoning administrator saying no developer has approached the county.
WXPRLocal opposition and consentSiting, zoning and standards
Check it: A committee vote is not the final adoption; the November 10 county board vote decides whether the moratorium takes effect.
The Pennsylvania House Energy Committee passed HB 2775, requiring data center developers to secure electricity service and pay fees before seeking zoning, and HB 2828, requiring developers to pay infrastructure costs and reduce load during blackouts, both unanimously. The panel also moved HB 2755 on regional transmission organization participation 22 to 3. Sponsors include Reps. Kyle Donahue, Elizabeth Fiedler and Chris Pielli.
WITFWho pays for the grid buildoutLaws, bills and regulationFlexible load
Check it: Check whether the full House and Senate take up the bills in the remaining voting days of the session, since committee passage is not law.
A longer AJC piece lays out how Lovejoy went from considering Stillwater Development's 3.5 million square foot, 1.25 gigawatt campus near two schools to passing an outright data center ban on September 29. The developer withdrew in August; the article is a case study in how school proximity, traffic and school bus concerns drove reversal.
Atlanta Journal ConstitutionLocal opposition and consentNoise, appearance and rural characterSiting, zoning and standards
Check it: Check whether other metro Atlanta jurisdictions with proposed sites near schools follow Lovejoy's pattern, and whether Stillwater refiles elsewhere in the region.
Forsyth County commissioners voted 5 to 2 on October 1 to reject a proposed temporary pause on new data center development. The county attorney warned the board that a Chatham County developer had successfully challenged a similar pause and said the county should set aside contingency funds for litigation if it chose to proceed. Commissioners Dan Besse, who drafted the proposal, and Tonya McDaniel voted yes.
WUNCLaws, bills and regulationSiting, zoning and standardsLocal opposition and consent
Check it: The vote was procedural about legal exposure, not an endorsement of any specific project, and the county is still studying its regulatory options.
Supervisors in Kline Township, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania voted unanimously on October 1 to approve Amazon Web Services' proposed 350 acre campus near Route 309 and Interstate 81, with roughly two million square feet of data center space planned. Approved conditions include pre and post blasting structural surveys of nearby homes and post construction acoustic testing. Residents in attendance urged stricter zoning and environmental safeguards before granting approval, citing concerns about noise, blasting, water use and strain on local utilities.
WILK News RadioJobsNoise, appearance and rural characterWater useLocal opposition and consent
Check it: Amazon still must obtain state environmental permits and township zoning sign offs before building, so this approval is a milestone rather than a final clearance.
The Cheyenne City Council on October 1 advanced annexation and rezoning for the 162 acre Orchard Hills data center project proposed by Dallas based Trammell Crow Company, adjacent to an existing Meta campus. The council overrode a unanimous planning commission denial, with only two members voting no. A final vote is scheduled for October 12.
Wyoming Tribune EagleSiting, zoning and standardsLocal opposition and consentJobs
Check it: The council vote was a second reading, so the project is not yet finally approved, and residents objected that the elected board was overruling the planning commission.
The Charlotte City Council scheduled a public hearing for October 12 on whether to extend its citywide data center moratorium for 11 months, which would push the pause through October 11, 2027. The current 150 day moratorium approved in June expires November 5. A 19 member community task force recommended the extension after reviewing water, energy, planning and zoning concerns.
WBTLaws, bills and regulationSiting, zoning and standardsWater useHow much electricity data centers use
Check it: The extension still needs a council vote on or after October 12, and the moratorium applies to new standalone projects, not existing facilities.
Lee County on October 1 issued a public statement affirming that the data center proposed on Lower Moncure Road will proceed, after the county planning department issued a planning permit on September 29. The county released a timeline running from a closed session briefing in February through the April public hearing and the September permit, and denied allegations that commissioners received improper incentives.
Rant NCSecret contracts and disclosureSiting, zoning and standardsLocal opposition and consent
Check it: The county has not named the operator, size or power demand of the project publicly, and the statement does not identify who built the project or what agreements commissioners reviewed.
Residents near the 2.4 million square foot Data One AI complex in Vineland, New Jersey told the Inquirer on October 1 that they are losing sleep from a persistent hum, which the Cumberland County Department of Health measured at above 50 decibels about a mile away at night. A homeowner noise complaint lawsuit was recently dismissed on procedural grounds. Data One and operator Nebius said the site is transitioning to quieter Bloom Energy fuel cells and that noise should drop after construction ends.
The Philadelphia InquirerNoise, appearance and rural characterLocal opposition and consentAir quality and on-site power
Check it: The 50 decibel figure is from the county health department rather than an independent agency, and the operator says sound levels are expected to drop once construction and temporary generation end.
House Judiciary Ranking Member Jamie Raskin sent letters to Amazon, Google, Meta and Oracle demanding copies of nondisclosure agreements signed with public officials, projected US electricity and water use, and any instances where NDAs were used to block public records requests. The probe arrives alongside the bipartisan No Secrets for Data Centers Act introduced by Reps. Landsman, Barrett and Raskin.
House Judiciary Committee DemocratsSecret contracts and disclosureLaws, bills and regulation
Check it: Check whether the companies actually turn over the agreements, how many officials signed them, and whether the bill is moving in committee or is purely a messaging vehicle before the midterms.
The Mesa County Board of Commissioners voted 3 to 0 on September 29 to enact a moratorium on new data center applications while the county updates its land development code to address power, water and noise. There are no active data center proposals in Mesa County.
Grand Junction Daily SentinelLocal opposition and consentSiting, zoning and standards
Check it: Check the moratorium's length and whether it covers unincorporated county only or also includes municipalities within Mesa County.
Senate Democrats blocked the Ratepayer Protection Act from advancing in a 57 to 43 cloture vote on September 30, with four Democrats joining Republicans in favor. Senator Chuck Schumer argued the standards the bill directs states to consider are voluntary and ineffective, while sponsor Senator Jon Husted of Ohio said the measure would push states to shield households from data center cost shifting. The House had passed the bill 417 to 3 in September.
CBS NewsLaws, bills and regulationWho pays for the grid buildout
Check it: Read the actual bill text, the measure directs states to consider standards rather than mandate them, which is why both supporters and critics describe it differently.
The Mercer County Fiscal Court voted unanimously on September 30 against a proposed industrial technology district that would have allowed hyperscale data centers on farmland next to the E.W. Brown coal fired generating station. Officials cited concerns about effects on Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill, a National Historic Landmark less than a mile from the proposed district, as well as horse farms and residential neighborhoods. The regulations were sent back to the planning commission and the countywide one year moratorium remains in place.
WEKUSiting, zoning and standardsLocal opposition and consentNoise, appearance and rural character
Check it: The vote blocked the zoning text, not a specific project, and the proposed developer may seek annexation into the nearby city of Burgin as an alternate path.
The Grady County Board of Commissioners on September 30 rejected a proposal to put a question before voters about forming a county planning commission that would have regulated land use including data centers. Aligned Data Centers purchased land in unincorporated Grady County in July for a data center and plans an October 6 public meeting. One commissioner said constituents did not want county zoning.
KGOULocal opposition and consentSiting, zoning and standardsLaws, bills and regulation
Check it: The vote preserves the current state of no county zoning authority, which limits residents' legal tools to shape or stop the project rather than approving it directly.
Madison's planning department unveiled a proposed zoning framework on September 30 that would allow small, medium and large data centers in designated areas, cap individual buildings at 100,000 square feet and require a 1,000 foot separation between larger facilities. The proposal deliberately excludes hyperscale campuses. Public feedback runs through October, with a council vote expected in January 2027.
Channel 3000Siting, zoning and standardsJobsNoise, appearance and rural character
Check it: The framework is still a draft and the final rules may change before the January vote, and the building size cap would not prevent many smaller colocation facilities.
Manitowoc County on September 30 released a 24 page draft ordinance that defines a data center as 50,000 square feet or larger with at least 1,000 servers, caps facility size at 500 acres and limits conversion of agricultural land to no more than 100 acres per project. Companies would have to submit site plans and documentation of power, water, wastewater and air quality systems. The draft now goes to public review, county board discussion and a likely public hearing.
Seehafer NewsSiting, zoning and standardsWater useAir quality and on-site power
Check it: The ordinance is a draft that still has to clear a public hearing and county board vote, and the acreage caps would not block most single building hyperscale buildings.
East Buffalo Township supervisors in Union County, Pennsylvania announced on September 30 that they will hold a public hearing on October 12 on an ordinance that would restrict data centers to the township's industrial zoning district. The hearing precedes a formal vote.
The Daily ItemSiting, zoning and standards
Check it: The ordinance would not take effect until approved by supervisors after the hearing, and the restriction is to industrial zoning, not an outright ban.
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission accepted but suspended PJM Interconnection's plan to procure 6,831 MW of backstop capacity to meet a shortfall driven largely by data center demand, finding that cost allocation, exit rules, and collateral terms may be unjust and unreasonable. PJM pulled the September 30 auction and FERC set a new effective date of February 28, 2027. Industry groups said the pause raises reliability concerns; FERC chair Mark Christie called PJM's filing a mess.
Utility DiveCapacity prices and grid costsWho pays for the grid buildoutLaws, bills and regulation
Check it: Watch what FERC's paper hearing concludes on cost allocation, since the fight is over whether data centers or all PJM customers pay for the 6,831 MW.
A procedural vote to advance the House passed Ratepayer Protection Act failed 57 to 43, short of the 60 needed to end a filibuster. Senator Jon Husted said the bill would require utilities to design rates so data centers over 100 MW cover their own grid costs. Senator Martin Heinrich objected that the House text only requires regulators to consider such rules and said stronger language is being negotiated into separate permitting legislation.
The HillWho pays for the grid buildoutLaws, bills and regulation
Check it: The bill as written would only require state regulators and nonregulated utilities to 'consider' assigning costs to data centers, not require it, which is why both sides claim it falls short.
Constellation and Amazon announced a 20 year PPA under which Amazon will purchase 690 MW from the Calvert Cliffs nuclear plant and Constellation will invest about $3 billion in Maryland, including roughly 190 MW of new emission free capacity coming online between 2030 and 2032 through uprates and license renewal. A related retail supply deal covers Amazon operations in the 13 state PJM region. Governor Wes Moore endorsed the deal.
Constellation EnergyHow much electricity data centers useWho holds the riskAI race and national security
Check it: Of the 690 MW, roughly 190 MW is new capacity added through uprates by 2032; the remainder is existing output redirected under the long term contract.
Developer Eagle Rock Partners announced a three building, roughly two million square foot data center campus in Jefferson Davis County, one of the poorest counties in the country, projecting 200 permanent jobs and more than 1,000 construction jobs. The company said it will not seek state or local tax abatements. Residents at a public meeting raised concerns about water, power rates, and noise.
Check it: Confirm whether Eagle Rock's no incentives pledge covers only state abatements or also local property tax deals, and compare its 200 permanent jobs claim against the 2 million square foot footprint.
The Buffalo Common Council agreed to move forward with a two year moratorium on new data centers and cryptocurrency facilities but delayed the final vote and added an amendment creating a nine member task force including the city planner, climate action manager, residents, and business representatives to study zoning updates. Mayor Sean Ryan said the proposal differs from New York's statewide one year pause. A final vote is expected in about two weeks.
Spectrum NewsLocal opposition and consentSiting, zoning and standards
Check it: The amendment stops short of a final moratorium vote and the task force composition will shape whether the two year pause survives in final form.
The Palm Springs City Council unanimously extended a temporary moratorium on new data center applications and permits for an additional 22 months and 15 days, through August 25, 2028. Planning Director Chris Hadwin said the city's zoning code does not define data centers or set noise, water, or utility thresholds and the pause gives staff time to draft standards.
The Palm Springs PostLocal opposition and consentSiting, zoning and standardsNoise, appearance and rural character
Check it: Palm Springs has no pending data center application; the extension is to write zoning rules before any proposal arrives.
Warren County commissioners unanimously approved a six month moratorium on hyperscale data centers, defined as facilities 10,000 square feet or larger, while the Ohio EPA and the Ohio Kentucky Indiana Regional Council of Governments complete a water impact study expected in November. Commissioner Tom Grossmann said he wanted more study of size and location rather than an outright ban.
Journal NewsWater useLocal opposition and consentSiting, zoning and standards
Check it: The moratorium only covers county controlled areas; townships such as Clearcreek and Hamilton already have longer pauses and Lebanon, Deerfield Township, and Mason already host small data centers.
The Georgetown City Council voted unanimously to have the city attorney draft an ordinance banning data centers and defining what counts as a hyperscale facility. Councilmember Karen Tingle-Sames said the city lacks water, land, and infrastructure for one. Mayor Burney Jenkins said the aim is to target mega facilities without affecting smaller operations and to prepare for possible legal challenges. Any ban would also need Planning and Zoning Commission approval.
WKYTWater useLocal opposition and consentSiting, zoning and standards
Check it: Scott County already has a county moratorium in place; the Georgetown ordinance is still in drafting and must also clear the Planning and Zoning Commission.
In a 4 to 2 vote after hours of public comment, Jesup city commissioners approved the first reading of an ordinance that formally defines data centers and permits them as a conditional use in light industrial zoning districts. Many residents urged a moratorium instead so the city could study water and grid impacts. A second reading is required before the ordinance can take effect.
WTOCSiting, zoning and standardsLocal opposition and consent
Check it: First reading does not enact the ordinance; the second reading is scheduled and the measure can still be amended or defeated.
Valar Atomics outlined Project Beehive, a plan to place 456 small modular reactors on more than 9,500 acres of Bureau of Land Management land near Price, Utah, plus about 650 acres of state land, to power data centers and produce nuclear fuel. The reactors would deliver roughly 9.6 GW of electricity. Nonnuclear construction could begin by year end with first reactor operations targeted for 2028, under a federal program that fast tracks reactor testing.
NPRAI race and national securityHow much electricity data centers useSiting, zoning and standards
Check it: No reactor in Valar's design has yet been licensed by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the BLM land withdrawal and environmental review process has not completed.
The Cheyenne City Council voted 8 to 2 on third and final reading to annex the 1,260 acre Cox Ranch property west of Roundtop Road and rezone it from agricultural to business park, clearing SkyBox Data Centers and ViaWest Group to proceed with a data center. Residents raised objections about noise, lighting, water, wildlife, and traffic. Cheyenne already has ten operating, five under construction, and nine in development data centers.
Cowboy State DailyLocal opposition and consentSiting, zoning and standardsWater use
Check it: Rezoning does not finalize a data center design; a site plan, utility service agreement, and water allocation will set the project's actual footprint.
The City of Lovejoy approved an ordinance banning data center construction within city limits after months of opposition to Stillwater Development's withdrawn plan for a 3.5 million square foot, 1.25 GW campus on Panhandle Road near Michelle Obama STEM Elementary Academy and Eddie White Middle School. The ordinance also repeals an administrative permit article and sets standards for high density housing.
Atlanta News FirstLocal opposition and consentSiting, zoning and standardsNoise, appearance and rural character
Check it: The ban applies only inside Lovejoy's incorporated limits; the Panhandle Road site could reappear through annexation to a different jurisdiction.
Fairfield County released a detailed timeline for its 12 month data center moratorium adopted September 14, including three public town halls on October 22, January 7, and January 21, a Planning Commission public hearing March 25, and County Council votes expected to conclude by June. Staff will study power, water, and road impacts and update the Land Management Ordinance.
WIS News 10Local opposition and consentSiting, zoning and standardsWater use
Check it: No current data center project is pending in Fairfield County; the moratorium is to write rules before applications arrive.
After previously deadlocking 3 to 3 on a moratorium, the Davidson County Board of Commissioners voted 4 to 2 to place a four month moratorium on hyperscale data centers back on the October 26 agenda. Chair Karen Watford opposed, saying a pause would send a bad signal to business. Commissioner Tripp Kester said residents and the board need more time to study the issue.
WFAELocal opposition and consentSiting, zoning and standards
Check it: The agenda vote only reopens the question; the four month moratorium itself still needs a majority on October 26.
Saginaw's council voted 8-0 to limit data centers to industrial districts as a special land use, require reports on water and energy use and wastewater discharge, and mandate at least two neighborhood meetings before approval. The rules take effect October 9, ahead of the city's existing development moratorium ending December 31.
WNEMSiting, zoning and standardsNoise, appearance and rural characterWater useLaws, bills and regulation
Check it: The ordinance sets rules but does not itself approve or block any project; no data center is currently proposed in Saginaw.
The city detailed enforcement terms for the TerraWatt Armory project, which promises $445 million in tax revenue over ten years: $15,000 in liquidated damages for every $100,000 revenue shortfall and $2,000 per job below staffing targets that scale from 25 to 100 employees. City officials said the developer is barred from seeking local tax abatements.
St. Louis Public RadioState tax breaksLocal property tax revenueJobsSecret contracts and disclosure
Check it: The revenue and jobs numbers are consultant projections, not audited figures; the developer has also filed suit challenging some city requirements.
Rep. Mark Chapman convened an interim study titled The Real Impact of Data Centers, hearing from operators, developers, environmental regulators and residents on utility bills, water use and local zoning. Chapman said the state needs to look at multiple perspectives before drafting legislation.
Oklahoma VoiceLaws, bills and regulationHow much electricity data centers useWater useWho pays for the grid buildout
Check it: An interim study is a hearing to gather information, not a bill; any legislation would need to be filed and passed in a later session.
At a State of the State luncheon in Monroe, Gov. Jeff Landry said data center companies have pledged not to raise residential electricity rates and dismissed water concerns by saying U.S. golf courses use about 500 billion gallons a year versus roughly 18 billion for data centers. Several Louisiana data centers are under construction, including Meta's Hyperion campus in Richland Parish.
Louisiana Radio NetworkWater useWho pays for the grid buildoutHow much electricity data centers use
Check it: Landry's water and rate claims are political statements; the pledges have not been reduced to enforceable tariffs, and data center water use projections vary widely by cooling design.
About 100 residents filled Aurora council chambers and 40 spoke against Vantage Data Centers' proposed Trident campus, a 1.5-million-square-foot, two-story project on 108 acres near Green Valley Ranch designed for 334 MW of IT capacity and about 500 MW of total electrical demand. The city attorney said the project can be approved administratively if it meets industrial-zone standards.
Denver GazetteLocal opposition and consentNoise, appearance and rural characterHow much electricity data centers useSiting, zoning and standards
Check it: The council did not vote; the application is undergoing city review with comments due back to Vantage by the end of September.
Village trustees postponed a vote on a proposed moratorium covering any project drawing 2 MW or more after residents at a public hearing asked for stronger environmental and utility language. Turin Management, owner of the former Remington Arms site, said no data center user is committed and it is prioritizing manufacturing options.
Spectrum News NY1Local opposition and consentSiting, zoning and standardsLaws, bills and regulation
Check it: No date has been set for a rescheduled vote; the Remington site has significant cleanup costs that make any large project uncertain.
The council adopted an amended resolution from North District Councilman Joe Golombek calling for a two-year pause on new data center construction and expansions of existing facilities, plus a nine-member task force to draft zoning and property tax updates. Buffalo's proposed pause is longer than New York's statewide one-year hyperscale moratorium.
WIVB BuffaloLocal opposition and consentSiting, zoning and standardsLaws, bills and regulation
Check it: The resolution is not the final ordinance; council staff will draft the moratorium law before another vote.
Tim Chadwick, Google's data center operations area lead, said roles like master electrician, lead pipefitter and project manager remain widely unfilled and framed the data center buildout as an entry point to six-figure trades careers. The article cites industry estimates of 2.1 million unfilled trades positions by 2030 and $6.7 trillion in projected global data center investment through 2030.
FortuneJobs
Check it: The 2.1 million and $6.7 trillion figures are industry projections; most data center jobs during construction are temporary and vary by region.
Real estate professionals told the Daily Record they still expect data center growth in Maryland after Gov. Wes Moore's September executive order, which sets uniform review standards, creates a task force and adds a tracking dashboard. More than half of Maryland's counties already have some form of data center moratorium.
Maryland Daily RecordSiting, zoning and standardsLaws, bills and regulationLocal opposition and consent
Check it: Moore's order is a framework, not new statute; specifics of environmental and ratepayer requirements will be set by task force recommendations.
Congresswoman Angela Pratt introduced ONCA 26-70, which would require any Osage Nation governmental entity to consult the 12-member tribal Congress before approving a hyperscale data center on Osage territory. The bill is aimed at the 827-acre Project Spring, a Google-backed proposal in Sand Springs that the Sand Springs City Council approved in February but that still needs Osage Minerals Council authorization for subsurface work.
KGOULocal opposition and consentSecret contracts and disclosureSiting, zoning and standards
Check it: The Natural Resources Committee postponed consideration to a future meeting. Watch whether the bill advances out of committee and whether the Minerals Council goes ahead independently.
The paper argues data-center siting now follows political consent and grid access more than population, and cites a Cushman and Wakefield finding that large new power requests in the Americas now wait an average of five years. It notes MultiState counted more than 300 state data-center bills in more than 30 states in the first six weeks of 2026.
Washington TimesSiting, zoning and standardsCapacity prices and grid costsLaws, bills and regulation
Check it: The five-year power-wait figure comes from Cushman and Wakefield, a commercial real-estate firm. Check the underlying methodology and whether it covers the whole Americas or only the US.
The Milwaukee City Plan Commission unanimously approved a substitute ordinance pausing acceptance and processing of virtually any new data center application for one year, or until the city rewrites its zoning code to define and regulate the use. Supporters cited energy, water, air and noise concerns; the proposal now goes to the Common Council.
FOX6 MilwaukeeLocal opposition and consentSiting, zoning and standardsLaws, bills and regulation
Check it: The plan commission recommendation still has to pass the Common Council before it takes effect.
Congresswoman Angela Pratt filed ONCA 26-70 to require Osage Nation governmental entities to get congressional approval before any hyperscale data center is approved on Osage territory. The measure follows ongoing talks between the Osage Minerals Council and Google over the 827-acre Project Spring site in Sand Springs; the Natural Resources Committee postponed action.
KOSUSecret contracts and disclosureLocal opposition and consentSiting, zoning and standards
Check it: The bill has not been voted on and would not by itself block Project Spring, which still needs Minerals Council approval.
Blackstone, OpenAI, QTS and SoftBank joined the IBEW, sheet metal workers, insulators, iron workers and plumbers and pipefitters in a coalition aimed at negotiating data center standards in Texas, Georgia, Ohio, Iowa, Pennsylvania, Indiana and South Carolina before 2027 sessions, in exchange for heading off moratoriums. Organizers described the effort as a high-eight-figure campaign but did not disclose spending.
AxiosJobsLaws, bills and regulationLocal opposition and consent
Check it: The alliance is an advocacy coalition, not a regulator; its ability to head off state moratoriums will depend on how legislators and local officials respond.
Gov. JB Pritzker said he will not impose a data center moratorium on his own and pressed lawmakers to pass the POWER Act during the November 17-19 and December 1-3 veto session. The bill would require sustainable water use, transparent reporting and consumer cost protections; a spring version failed to pass in June.
WTHI-TVLaws, bills and regulationWho pays for the grid buildoutWater useSecret contracts and disclosure
Check it: The POWER Act has not passed either chamber; Pritzker has also paused new state data center tax incentives starting July 1.
The outlet summarized a report from the Environmental Protection Network, a group of former EPA staff, projecting that data center-related electricity demand could contribute to about 600,000 asthma symptom cases, 1,300 premature deaths and nearly $21 billion in annual public health costs by 2028. The report also flags federal rule changes easing pollution safeguards on on-site turbines and backup generators.
Utility DiveAir quality and on-site powerHow much electricity data centers useLaws, bills and regulation
Check it: The 600,000 and 1,300 figures are modeled projections from an advocacy group of former EPA officials, not measured outcomes.
The magazine describes a growing tactic of developers writing checks directly to nearby residents, focusing on NorthPoint Development's letter to about 4,500 Hazle Township, Pa. households offering $10,000 each in exchange for support for a 15-building, 1,300-acre data center campus. Many residents interviewed said no anyway, citing noise, property values and distrust.
ReasonLocal opposition and consentNoise, appearance and rural characterLocal property tax revenue
Check it: The $45 million total is contingent on project approval; the article is opinion-adjacent but the underlying NorthPoint offer is documented.
The Post reviewed 93 large US data centers and reported that about 40 percent were built on previously developed land, 33 percent on former farmland, 12 percent on former forest and 11 percent on shrubland. The piece counts nearly 100 operating hyperscale sites, another 120 under construction and roughly 460 more planned.
Washington PostSiting, zoning and standardsNoise, appearance and rural characterLocal opposition and consent
Check it: This is a Washington Post analysis, not an official land-use inventory. Verify the sample size, how sites were defined as hyperscale, and how the paper distinguished farmland from previously developed land.
Sioux County Supervisors set a Sept. 29 public hearing on a draft ordinance that would set higher standards for data-center applications, including independent water and power studies, a closed-loop cooling requirement, and developer funding for first-responder training. A second reading is scheduled for Oct. 13 and a third and final reading for Oct. 27.
Dakota News NowSiting, zoning and standardsWater useLaws, bills and regulation
Check it: The ordinance needs three readings to take effect. Confirm whether the Board of Supervisors adopts it as drafted or weakens the closed-loop water requirement.
Congressman Mike Lawler asked Governor Hochul and the New York Power Authority to publish the annual cost and average per-facility subsidy of ReCharge NY discounted hydropower being provided to data centers in Orangeburg. The letter says three of four Orangeburg data centers receive the discount.
Mid-Hudson NewsSecret contracts and disclosureState tax breaksWho pays for the grid buildout
Check it: A congressional letter is not itself disclosure. Watch whether NYPA or the governor's office publishes the requested numbers, and confirm the ReCharge NY program terms for data-center recipients.
The Village of Mahomet said Clean Cloud Energy has approached it about a data-center campus, described in draft documents as Rising Edge on roughly 340 acres of farmland in unincorporated Mahomet Township. A draft agreement disclosed under FOIA caps developer contributions at 17.35 million dollars, 10 million of which is tied to a separate payment-in-lieu-of-taxes deal.
WAND-TVSiting, zoning and standardsSecret contracts and disclosureWater use
Check it: The developer and village both call the talks preliminary and no application has been filed. Confirm the parcel size, whether the Mahomet Aquifer is directly implicated, and whether the Village Board formally considers the draft.
The Bureau of Land Management is considering data-center applications covering roughly 17,600 acres in Arizona, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Utah and Wyoming, including the Snake River Energy Data Center backed by Copia in southern Idaho and a Rhea Data Center proposed by an Arevia Power subsidiary south of Boise. The story frames the federal-land applications as a new frontier as private-land opposition rises.
Oregon Capital ChronicleSiting, zoning and standardsLocal opposition and consentLaws, bills and regulation
Check it: These are applications, not approvals. Verify the acreage per state and whether any project has completed a right-of-way review or environmental analysis.
Residents filed ethics complaints with the Carroll County Ethics Commission alleging council members who voted to authorize a secret land deal for a proposed 800 megawatt Poe Companies and PowerHouse Data Centers project had conflicts because they or immediate family work for Louisville Gas and Electric and Kentucky Utilities. Financial disclosures cited include a current LG&E-KU employee, a retired employee with a KU pension, a member with a son at KU, and a member whose spouse was hired there after the vote.
Louisville Public MediaSecret contracts and disclosureLocal opposition and consent
Check it: The commission is only beginning the process, and having a family member at a utility is not, by itself, an ethics violation, only a factor for whether recusal was required.
Students for Environmental Concerns held a rally at the University of Illinois on Friday September 27, joined by Students for Socialism, Prairie Rivers Network and Resist AI Data Centers Champaign County, calling for stricter energy and environmental rules on any future county projects. The Champaign County Board enacted a construction moratorium earlier this year while a task force drafts an ordinance.
Daily IlliniLocal opposition and consentWater useHow much electricity data centers use
Check it: This is a student and advocacy rally, not a government vote, and the county's moratorium is already in place while regulations are drafted.
CNBC reported that data center construction has become a leading source of blue-collar hiring in electrical, HVAC, welding, and pipefitting trades, with the AI buildout described as a jobs boom for skilled trades, but noted that a wave of local moratoriums and rezoning fights could stall projects and dampen that hiring. Industry sources cited millions of construction-hours tied to announced projects, while union electricians said apprenticeship classes have grown significantly in states with active builds.
CNBCJobsLocal opposition and consent
Check it: Construction jobs are temporary and tied to the build phase; permanent operations staffing at a hyperscale campus is typically much smaller than construction peak headcount.
Palmerton Borough Council discussed a 13-building data center campus and possible on-site power generation building proposed by DTA Alliance LLC and Murphy's Meadow LLC on about 700 acres in neighboring Lower Towamensing Township, including the former Blue Shamrock Golf Course, with council members raising concerns about water supply, noise, and property values. Lower Towamensing Township has retained special counsel to defend against a curative amendment filed by the property owners, and a public hearing on that challenge is set for October 27.
Times News (PA)Water useLocal opposition and consentNoise, appearance and rural characterSiting, zoning and standards
Check it: A curative amendment is a legal challenge to a township's zoning; the outcome of the October 27 hearing determines whether the proposal can proceed.
Governor JB Pritzker said he expects the legislature to take up data-center regulation during the Nov. 17-19 and Dec. 1-3 veto session, citing concern that power and water bills not rise for residents to serve new load. Advocates want the POWER Act, which includes a Bring Your Own New Clean Capacity and Energy provision, to reach the floor.
Crain's Chicago BusinessWho pays for the grid buildoutLaws, bills and regulationWater use
Check it: A stated governor priority is not a bill on the floor. Check whether the POWER Act is actually scheduled for a vote and what its final scope is.
Applied Digital said its Delta Forge 2 AI Factory will be built on about 160 acres of a nearly 1,300 acre site in Brookwood, Alabama, with construction scheduled to start October 1 and operations projected for 2028. The company named Kayvens LLC as the long term tenant, an entity whose registered address is a Meta corporate address in Menlo Park, though neither company has publicly confirmed Meta as the customer.
Data Center DynamicsJobsState tax breaksHow much electricity data centers use
Check it: Applied Digital estimates about 1,000 peak construction jobs and roughly 100 permanent onsite jobs, and the campus received about $314.5 million in tax abatements alongside a $270 million community benefit commitment over 20 years.
The Alabama Gazette reports the Tuscaloosa County Economic Development Authority approved $314.5 million in tax abatements in exchange for $270 million in community benefit payments over 20 years. Applied Digital's CEO acknowledged that hyperscale data centers do not produce large amounts of permanent employment relative to their electricity draw.
Check it: Verify whether Kayvens LLC is publicly confirmed by Meta and whether the $270 million community benefit figure is paid out over time or contingent on facility milestones.
The East Whiteland Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to approve a 32 page zoning ordinance setting distance limits from homes, schools, daycares, parks and churches, plus rules on noise, water use, cooling and power. The ordinance does not affect the roughly 1.5 million square foot data center already being built at the former Cyprus Foote Mineral property.
Philadelphia InquirerSiting, zoning and standardsNoise, appearance and rural characterWater use
Check it: The ordinance is prospective only, so residents most concerned about the existing project will not see its provisions applied there.
Woodway Energy Infrastructure announced definitive agreements to build a 22 mile, 30 inch natural gas pipeline in Goliad County, Texas dedicated to a behind the meter power plant serving an undisclosed hyperscale data center. Commercial service is targeted for the first half of 2028, subject to regulatory approvals.
Data Center DynamicsWho holds the riskAir quality and on-site powerHow much electricity data centers use
Check it: Behind the meter arrangements can reduce reliance on the shared grid but also route air emissions permitting through state and local agencies rather than PJM style processes, and the tenant is not disclosed.
The Scott County Fiscal Court voted Thursday to extend a pause on data center applications through March 2027 while the Georgetown-Scott County Planning Commission drafts permanent siting rules covering water use, power draw, and noise. Judge-Executive Joe Covington said the extension is meant to buy time for research rather than pursue an outright ban, and the draft under discussion would confine data centers to heavy industrial zones and require conditional use permits.
WKYTLocal opposition and consentSiting, zoning and standardsWater use
Check it: A moratorium is a pause on new applications, not a permanent ban, and existing projects are unaffected.
Axios reported that Missouri currently has about 340 megawatts of operating data center capacity across 11 facilities, and that 50 planned projects would push that total past 7,400 megawatts if all are built. The story cites Google's Project Mica in the Northland at up to 500 megawatts and the Nebius Independence campus at about 800 megawatts, running on its own on-site natural gas plant.
Axios Kansas CityHow much electricity data centers useWho pays for the grid buildoutCapacity prices and grid costs
Check it: The 7,400 MW figure counts announced and proposed projects, not built capacity, and many announced projects are downsized, delayed, or canceled.
KUNC summarized recent surveys finding majority local discomfort with new data centers, including a Pew Research Center survey conducted July through August 2026 in which 60 percent of Americans said they would be not too or not at all comfortable with a new data center in their area, an Annenberg Public Policy Center survey at 61 percent opposed, and a Gallup poll placing local opposition at 71 percent. Half of Americans in the Pew survey view data centers as mostly bad for home energy costs.
KUNCLocal opposition and consentWho pays for the grid buildout
Check it: Wording matters: some of these polls ask about a facility next door, others ask about the industry in general, and the answers can diverge sharply.
Real estate firm Prologis has proposed a three-story data center at 326 Charcot Avenue in North San Jose that would replace five industrial buildings and total 514,000 square feet with roughly 99 megawatts of capacity, an on-site substation, and a backup generator yard. The project would need San Jose approval and a PG&E agreement to expand a nearby substation, and could open around 2030.
Press DemocratHow much electricity data centers useSiting, zoning and standards
Check it: The 2030 opening is contingent on both city land use approvals and utility interconnection; PG&E substation timelines have slipped elsewhere in California.
The Georgia Chamber's Georgia Digital Infrastructure Alliance announced a six-figure statewide advertising campaign on connected TV and digital platforms highlighting tax revenue, property-tax relief and jobs tied to data centers. The campaign lands as Atlanta metro has passed Northern Virginia in data-center construction volume.
Metro Atlanta CEOJobsLocal property tax revenueState tax breaks
Check it: This is an industry-funded advocacy campaign. Confirm which companies fund the Georgia Digital Infrastructure Alliance and how the six-figure ad buy is being spent.
The Office of Electricity's Speed to Power (SPARK) initiative funded 31 reconductoring and grid-enhancing-technology projects across 26 states, with 1.9 billion dollars in federal funding matched by 3.35 billion in cost share. The DOE says the projects could unlock 23 GW of additional grid capacity and reconductor or rebuild more than 1,500 miles of transmission.
US Department of EnergyCapacity prices and grid costsHow much electricity data centers useFlexible load
Check it: Announced awards are conditional. Check the project list, in-service dates, and whether recipients accept the federal cost share, since delays are common in transmission upgrades.
Brighton Township joined other Livingston County communities in pausing new data center applications while the planning commission drafts rules, calling the vote a housekeeping step because the current ordinance does not mention data centers. The Michigan Townships Association has recommended similar reviews statewide.
WHMI 93.5Siting, zoning and standardsLocal opposition and consent
Check it: No data center project has been proposed in Brighton Township; the moratorium is preemptive rulemaking, not a rejection of a specific developer.
Oracle sent a force majeure notice to developer Blue Owl tied to Project Jupiter, a 2.45 GW AI campus in Doña Ana County, New Mexico anchored by the Stargate venture. The notice would let Oracle defer payments if the site misses its 2028 in service date, after an Energy Transfer gas pipeline was pushed to February 2027 and other permits were denied. Oracle told reporters it is not exiting the lease.
BloombergWho holds the riskAI race and national securityHow much electricity data centers use
Check it: Force majeure is a contractual claim, not a cancellation, and Oracle says it still plans to occupy the site.
Attorney General Ken Paxton announced an investigation into whether Texas data centers are meeting state water use reporting requirements, spanning 18 counties including Harris, Travis, Dallas, Tarrant, Bexar, Midland and El Paso. State surveys previously drew responses from only 17 percent of the 341 operating Texas data centers. The action follows Governor Greg Abbott directing TCEQ to halt new data center permits pending an ERCOT audit.
BloombergWater useSecret contracts and disclosureLaws, bills and regulation
Check it: This is an investigation, not a filed enforcement action; details on penalties or subpoenas are not yet public.
For the second time, Chesterfield County supervisors delayed a vote on directing about 40 million dollars in expected annual Google data center revenue toward roughly halving the car tax, pushing the decision to November 18. Supervisors said residents still disagree over how to allocate the money, with school maintenance and fire services floated as alternatives.
12 On Your SideLocal property tax revenueState tax breaks
Check it: The 40 million dollar figure is projected once the campuses are fully operational, not a current revenue stream.
Yellowstone County commissioners sent a letter to their state legislative delegation asking for changes to Montana's 2025 Right to Compute Act, which they say blocks local zoning and permitting authority over data centers. The county is grappling with the proposed 5,000 acre Quantica Broadview project.
Montana Free PressSiting, zoning and standardsLocal opposition and consentLaws, bills and regulation
Check it: This is a request to state lawmakers, not a court challenge, and the 2027 session is the earliest legislative window.
Georgia Power filed the Google agreement with the Georgia Public Service Commission on September 23, seeking approval of a new NU-1 subscription tariff and extended power uprates that would add about 96 MW at Plants Vogtle and Hatch. Under the deal, Google pays the upgrade costs and receives the zero emission credits, with the utility projecting roughly 900 million dollars in benefits to other customers over the life of the units. The PSC must sign off before the tariff can take effect.
Georgia RecorderWho pays for the grid buildoutCapacity prices and grid costsWho holds the riskHow much electricity data centers use
Check it: The 900 million dollar customer benefit is the utility's projection and depends on PSC approval and future fuel and market prices.
As part of the September 18 Data Center Accountability Framework, Governor Abigail Spanberger directed a state study to identify brownfield redevelopment and previously developed sites suitable for data centers to spread economic benefits outside Northern Virginia. Cardinal News identified potential qualifying sites including former coal mines in Buchanan, Dickenson and Wise counties, the Radford Foundry, industrial parcels in Danville and Roanoke, and closed landfills in Roanoke and Alleghany counties. Supporters argue brownfields have existing infrastructure and reduce greenfield pressure; opponents say siting still faces political resistance across the state.
Cardinal NewsSiting, zoning and standardsLaws, bills and regulationLocal property tax revenue
Check it: Whether the study identifies specific parcels with confirmed grid and water availability and whether any developer commits to a brownfield project.
Fort Wayne City Council postponed action on Councilwoman Rohli Booker's ordinances that would establish a moratorium and a study task force on future data centers, sending the matter back to committee until mid October. The proposal, if adopted, would not affect the Google data center already under construction on Adams Center Road.
21Alive NewsSiting, zoning and standardsLaws, bills and regulation
Check it: The vote is only delayed, not decided; the postponement resulted from procedural amendments to the underlying ordinance.
Governor Wes Moore signed an executive order creating a single Maryland review process for any data center 25 megawatts or larger that seeks a state permit, incentive, or letter of support, judged against ratepayer protection, economic benefit, community engagement, environmental safeguards, and transparency. The governor also said he will work with the General Assembly next session to repeal Maryland's 2020 Data Center Sales and Use Tax Exemption. Industry groups have argued the state incentive is needed to compete with Virginia, while the Moore administration argues the giveaway is not justified.
Office of Governor Wes MooreState tax breaksSiting, zoning and standardsLaws, bills and regulationSecret contracts and disclosure
Check it: The executive order takes effect immediately, but repeal of the tax exemption requires the General Assembly to pass legislation in the 2027 session.
The Pima County Board of Supervisors voted 3 to 2 on September 22 to pause new data center permits for 120 days while staff drafts zoning rules the board hopes to adopt by December 10. The resolution cites public health, air pollution, drought and noise concerns. Two existing projects, Project Blue and the proposed Project Gravel in Sahuarita, are already in the pipeline and their treatment under the moratorium is disputed.
AZ LuminariaLocal opposition and consentWater useSiting, zoning and standards
Check it: Confirm whether Project Gravel is covered by the moratorium or grandfathered because of prior industrial zoning.
The Marshall County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously on September 23 to pause new applications for data centers, AI computing, data mining and cryptocurrency facilities for six months. The county has no formal data center ordinance and plans monthly work sessions to develop one. It is distinct from a shorter Marshalltown city moratorium already in effect.
Times RepublicanLocal opposition and consentSiting, zoning and standards
Check it: The county moratorium covers unincorporated areas; city rules in Marshalltown are separate and shorter.
The Woodbury City Council approved a moratorium on new data center permits, rezoning requests and conditional use permits for up to one year while staff studies water, power, noise and zoning. Staff said no data center applications or informal proposals are pending in the city.
Woodbury News NetLocal opposition and consentWater useSiting, zoning and standards
Check it: Preemptive moratorium with no active proposal; verify whether it applies to expansions of existing IT loads.
The Tulare County Board of Supervisors voted 5 to 0 on September 22 to extend the August moratorium on data center construction in unincorporated areas by ten months and fifteen days. A separate 3 to 2 vote adopted a board position opposing new data centers in the county except for enterprise facilities.
Sun-GazetteLocal opposition and consentWater useHow much electricity data centers use
Check it: The board position opposing new projects is not a binding ordinance; the moratorium is the enforceable action.
The Prince William Board of Supervisors voted 8 to 0 on September 23 to end by-right data center development countywide, shrinking the Data Center Opportunity Zone Overlay from about 9,700 acres to roughly 3,641 acres. Projects outside the reduced overlay will now need a special use permit, with a 90 day grace period for property owners to qualify to remain inside. Supervisors framed the change as restoring community input; industry groups have argued the shift adds cost and delay to a maturing regional market.
WTOP NewsSiting, zoning and standardsLocal opposition and consentSecret contracts and disclosure
Check it: Whether the amendment is now in effect or subject to legal challenge, and whether existing site plans continue to be approved during the grace period.
Pacific Power settled with Oregon PUC staff, the Citizens' Utility Board and advocacy groups on a rate structure that would directly assign the costs of new energy projects tied to future data centers to those operators, implementing the state's POWER Act. The plan is scheduled for Oregon PUC consideration in October with a target order date of November 13 and rates effective January 1, 2027. Supporters argue this stops cross subsidization by residential customers; industry may raise concerns about competitiveness.
Oregon Capital ChronicleWho pays for the grid buildoutCapacity prices and grid costsLaws, bills and regulation
Check it: Whether the Oregon PUC formally approves the settlement in November and how it applies to existing versus new data centers.
The Kershaw County Council unanimously approved third and final reading of an ordinance imposing a one year moratorium on new data centers, cryptocurrency mining and data processing facilities. Council members said the pause gives the county time to develop zoning and permitting rules. Only one resident spoke at the hearing and supported the pause.
WIS TVLocal opposition and consentSiting, zoning and standards
Check it: Whether the ordinance took immediate effect and whether any pending applications are grandfathered.
Oakland's Life Enrichment Committee approved a 45 day emergency moratorium on new data center land use approvals introduced by Councilmember Carroll Fife on September 11, sending it to the full City Council for an October 6 vote. Supporters want time to write environmental, operational and public safety rules; the city has already been debating one active data center application in Bayview.
The OaklandsideLocal opposition and consentSiting, zoning and standardsAir quality and on-site power
Check it: Whether the full council adopts the emergency ordinance on October 6 and whether current applications are covered.
The Fort Wayne City Council delayed a vote on a proposed one year data center moratorium by three weeks after more than an hour of debate over amendments. Councilwoman Rohli Booker's proposal would pause approval of new projects while the planning department drafts zoning, environmental and safety recommendations, and would not affect Google's existing Fort Wayne project. The matter returns in mid October.
WBOILocal opposition and consentSiting, zoning and standards
Check it: Whether the moratorium passes in October and what if any exemptions the final version contains.
A resolution to impose a two year moratorium on new data centers and cryptocurrency mining in Buffalo advanced through the Common Council's community development committee and is expected to pass at the September 30 full council meeting with a veto proof six member majority. Sponsors said the pause would allow the city to form a commission to study regulations. Buffalo does not currently have any data center applications pending.
Buffalo NewsLocal opposition and consentSiting, zoning and standards
Check it: Whether the full council passes the resolution on September 30 and whether Mayor Sean Ryan signs or vetoes it.
CNBC reported that data centers have emerged as a swing issue in Texas's 2026 statewide races, with candidates from both parties positioning against unchecked expansion and Governor Greg Abbott directing TCEQ on September 21 to halt data center permits pending an audit. Some strategists argue the issue could help Democrats compete statewide for the first time since 1994; others say Abbott's moves lock down Republican voters concerned about water, noise and utility bills.
CNBCLocal opposition and consentLaws, bills and regulationAI race and national security
Check it: Whether polling continues to show data centers as a top voter issue and how audit results affect the November race.
The Reading Planning Commission scheduled a special voting meeting in October to advance a proposed zoning amendment restricting data centers to Heavy Manufacturing and Manufacturing Commercial districts through a conditional use hearing. The city council invoked the curative amendment process in July after finding the zoning ordinance defective as to data centers, with a January deadline for final adoption.
WFMZSiting, zoning and standardsLaws, bills and regulation
Check it: Whether the planning commission advances the exact text to city council within the 180 day curative window.
Democratic candidate for Ohio governor Amy Acton urged lawmakers meeting in a special session to take up data centers, arguing they are driving residential electricity bills higher and require statewide restrictions. Republican leaders dismissed the proposal and pointed to existing regulatory processes. Every Ohio gubernatorial candidate has now proposed some form of data center pause or condition; the state has more than 125 active local moratoriums.
Ohio Statehouse News BureauLocal opposition and consentLaws, bills and regulationWho pays for the grid buildout
Check it: Whether the Ohio legislature actually places data centers on its special session agenda or defers the issue.
The Tulare County Board of Supervisors voted 5-0 to extend the county's data-center moratorium in unincorporated areas by 10 months and 15 days, and in a separate 3-2 vote adopted a policy position opposing most data-center development, including projects outside county jurisdiction. The opposition resolution carves out enterprise data centers built by a single company for its own use.
Porterville RecorderLocal opposition and consentSiting, zoning and standardsWater use
Check it: The 3-2 opposition vote is a policy stance, not a ban, and the enterprise carve-out is significant. Check whether the county actually sends opposition letters on specific pending projects.
Clergy from the We Make Indiana coalition asked St. Joseph County officials on Sept. 22 to push Microsoft into a legally binding Fair Share Agreement worth about one percent of project cost, potentially 30 to 40 million dollars a year for community programs. Microsoft has not committed to the proposal, first sent in May, and construction of the roughly 900-acre Granger site is expected to start this fall.
WNDULocal opposition and consentLocal property tax revenueJobs
Check it: The Fair Share Agreement is a proposal from a coalition, not a government requirement. Confirm whether Microsoft responds and whether county or city officials attach any conditions before construction begins.
The Pulaski County Quorum Court voted 11 to 4 on September 22 to classify large data centers as heavy industrial land uses that require conditional use permits, with rules on noise, fire safety, and water. Unlike the county's May moratorium, the new ordinance does not grandfather AVAIO Digital's planned 6 billion dollar Wrightsville project, setting up a possible vested rights fight. Judge Barry Hyde has seven days to veto.
Arkansas TimesSiting, zoning and standardsLocal opposition and consent
Check it: Watch for the county judge's veto or signature and any AVAIO legal challenge over vested rights.
Governor Mikie Sherrill and NJDEP announced a 1.07 million dollar penalty against Data One's Vineland facility after a July inspection found 62 natural gas generators operating without required Air Pollution Control Act permits. The department called it the largest enforcement action against a data center in state history; the operator said it plans to seek permits and transition to fuel cells. Advocates cited the fine as evidence of air pollution risks near residential areas.
New Jersey Department of Environmental ProtectionAir quality and on-site powerSecret contracts and disclosureLaws, bills and regulation
Check it: Whether the fine is final or subject to appeal, and whether the generators continue operating pending permits.
The Baltimore County Council voted unanimously to extend its data center moratorium from the end of 2026 through at least December 2027. Council members said the industry has not answered questions about environmental and energy impacts while the county studies whether to restrict data centers to specific areas. Industry representatives have argued the county is delaying investment that could support tax revenue.
WYPRLocal opposition and consentSiting, zoning and standardsWater use
Check it: Whether county studies produce specific zoning rules before the new deadline and whether the vote is final.
The North Port City Commission gave final approval to an 18 month moratorium on new data center applications after a packed public hearing that ran nearly seven hours. Residents cited concerns about water supply, noise, air pollution and job claims; one pending application from a 900,000 square foot project is unaffected. The commission said the pause allows time to write local rules.
Sun NewspapersWater useLocal opposition and consentNoise, appearance and rural character
Check it: Whether the exempted 900,000 square foot project proceeds and whether the city develops permanent standards during the 18 months.
The Public Utility Commission of Texas adopted final large load interconnection standards for ERCOT that removed a proposed non refundable fee of 50,000 dollars per megawatt, halved the financial security deposit from 100,000 dollars to 50,000 dollars per megawatt, and set a flat 100,000 dollar study fee for all large load customers. The rules apply to loads above 75 megawatts. Consumer advocates argued the softened terms weaken protections against speculative interconnection requests; industry groups had asked for the reductions.
Utility DiveLaws, bills and regulationCapacity prices and grid costsWho pays for the grid buildout
Check it: Whether the rule survives any pending appeals and how ERCOT applies the fee structure to existing queued projects.
The Raton City Commission voted 3 to 2 against adopting a one year moratorium on new data centers. Commissioners in the majority said existing municipal safeguards were sufficient, while supporters of the pause argued the city should develop specific rules before any project applies. Raton has no data center applications on file.
KRTN Enchanted Air RadioLocal opposition and consentSiting, zoning and standards
Check it: Which safeguards commissioners cited and whether the city returns to the issue if a specific project is proposed.
California enacted SB 1168, SB 886, SB 887, AB 1577, AB 2383, AB 2469, and AB 2619, which together direct the Public Utilities Commission to make data centers pay for transmission and distribution upgrades, require monthly energy reporting to the state, mandate water supply assessments during permitting, and remove certain exemptions. Supporters including TURN and NRDC framed the package as ratepayer protection, while trade groups have previously warned that added rules could push new projects to other states.
Office of Governor Gavin NewsomLaws, bills and regulationWho pays for the grid buildoutSecret contracts and disclosureWater use
Check it: Read each bill number before repeating claims about what the package requires and note that some rules phase in through CPUC rulemakings that are not yet complete.
Utility Dive walks through each of the seven bills, including SB 1168, which instructs the CPUC to set rates that require data centers to pay their own transmission and distribution upgrade costs, and AB 1577, which requires monthly energy consumption reporting to the California Energy Commission and projected usage disclosures to local permitting agencies. Sponsors cited concerns that data center growth is pushing rates higher for other customers.
Utility DiveWho pays for the grid buildoutHow much electricity data centers useSecret contracts and disclosureLaws, bills and regulation
Check it: How much the new tariffs actually shift depends on CPUC implementation rulings that have not yet been issued.
Wakulla County commissioners voted unanimously to adopt an ordinance prohibiting data centers in the county's unincorporated areas, formalizing a ban that county staff said had been in effect in practice. Speakers at the public hearing raised concerns about impacts on Wakulla Springs and the groundwater system.
WCTVLocal opposition and consentWater useSiting, zoning and standards
Check it: The ordinance applies only to unincorporated Wakulla County and can be amended by future commissions.
The Salem City Council gave final approval to a 120 day moratorium in a special session, pausing all data center applications until January 19, 2027 while a city task force studies regulation. Councilors kept an option to extend the pause by up to six months.
KPTVLocal opposition and consentSiting, zoning and standardsLaws, bills and regulation
Check it: The city attorney has said the pause blocks the pending Verrus data center application, but the developer could challenge whether the ordinance applies retroactively.
The North Mankato City Council unanimously passed a 12 month moratorium on new data centers after a public hearing where all four resident speakers supported the pause. During the moratorium the city will study large scale facilities, defined as those over 250,000 square feet or using at least 50,000 gallons of water a day, and the council can extend the pause by another year.
KEYCLocal opposition and consentWater useSiting, zoning and standards
Check it: The moratorium is an interim ordinance and does not preclude the city from adopting different rules once its study is complete.
The Kalamazoo City Commission gave first reading to a zoning ordinance embedding its August 17 resolution moratorium into the city's zoning code, a step staff said is required for legal enforceability under Michigan's zoning enabling act. A public hearing and second reading are set for October 5, which would restart the one year clock.
WKZOLocal opposition and consentSiting, zoning and standardsLaws, bills and regulation
Check it: The vote was a first reading only. The moratorium is not fully embedded in zoning code until the second reading and hearing on October 5.
Fayette County commissioners in Ohio approved a data center moratorium running through June 1, 2027 covering seven unincorporated townships, after a commissioner reversed his opposition in response to public comment. Jefferson, Wayne and Union townships are excluded because they maintain independent zoning codes.
Record HeraldLocal opposition and consentSiting, zoning and standards
Check it: Commissioners retain authority to modify, rescind or extend the pause before its expiration and townships with their own zoning are unaffected.
Manatee County's 12 month moratorium began September 22, preventing large load customers or facilities with substantial electric, water, wastewater or other utility demands from submitting building permits, site plans, rezones or comprehensive plan amendments. The county cited Senate Bill 484 as authority for the pause.
Your ObserverLaws, bills and regulationSiting, zoning and standardsWater use
Check it: The moratorium covers all large load facilities, not only data centers, and its enforcement depends on how the county interprets substantial utility demands.
The Western Virginia Regional Industrial Facility Authority confirmed that Clearview Dynamics is evaluating the 111 acre Wood Haven Technology Park in Roanoke County for a data center campus, with due diligence running through March 2027 and closing anticipated in October 2027. The developer, formed in January and using a corporate services registered agent also used by Google in Botetourt County, would pay for water and power infrastructure and draw from the Spring Hollow Reservoir.
Cardinal NewsSecret contracts and disclosureWater useLocal property tax revenueLocal opposition and consent
Check it: The parent company behind Clearview Dynamics has not been publicly disclosed. Site plans, capacity and water draw are not yet filed.
The Ohio Capital Journal reports that a House proposal to cut Ohio's sales tax exemption for new data centers from 100 percent to 50 percent has not advanced despite support from the House speaker, even as multiple legislative and statewide candidates have made data center regulation a campaign issue. Local moratoriums have continued to spread across Ohio in the absence of state action.
Ohio Capital JournalState tax breaksLaws, bills and regulationLocal opposition and consent
Check it: The exemption remains at 100 percent unless the General Assembly acts. Existing project agreements would be governed by their signed terms even if statute changes.
Bloomberg reports that Republican governors and candidates are moving to restrict data centers even as President Trump amplifies support for the buildout, most recently posting on September 22 that criticism of AI and data centers is a conspiracy. Polling cited in the article shows about 61 percent of US adults oppose new data centers near their homes, with 63 percent of Republicans among that group.
BloombergLocal opposition and consentLaws, bills and regulation
Check it: The poll referenced measures opposition to nearby siting, not to data centers in general. Different surveys with different wording produce different numbers.
TechCrunch summarizes a Data and Society report based on 18 months of ethnographic fieldwork and 44 interviews with Pennsylvania residents, which finds that opposition draws from industrial history, distrust of NDAs, property values and utility bill concerns rather than any single objection. Researchers argue Pennsylvania's coal, steel and fracking legacy shapes how residents evaluate new data center promises.
TechCrunchLocal opposition and consentSecret contracts and disclosureJobs
Check it: The study is qualitative, not a statistical survey. Its 44 interviews cannot be read as representative of all Pennsylvanians.
Hancock County supervisors tabled a proposed six month moratorium on new data center construction, with one supervisor saying the county should focus on drafting a permanent ordinance covering data centers, crypto mining, solar farms and battery storage. The board is expected to take up the moratorium again at its next meeting.
Radio IowaLocal opposition and consentSiting, zoning and standards
Check it: No moratorium is in effect. Any pending project applications continue under existing county zoning until the board acts.
Supervisors are scheduled to consider a zoning text amendment that would end by-right data center construction in the county's overlay district and require future projects to obtain a special use permit from the board. The planning commission has recommended approval. Industry groups say the change adds uncertainty for projects near existing infrastructure, while opponents argue by-right approval sidestepped community input.
Prince William CountySiting, zoning and standardsLocal opposition and consent
Check it: Confirm whether the amendment passes and what transition rules apply to applications already in the pipeline.
Nevada based Rhea Data, a subsidiary of Arevia Power, applied to the Bureau of Land Management for a 4 million square foot data center with 600 megawatts of capacity plus a natural gas power plant on more than 3,700 acres near Blacks Creek Reservoir. The BLM Four Rivers Field Office is in a pre planning phase and is expected to publish a federal register notice of intent by year end.
BoiseDevSiting, zoning and standardsAir quality and on-site powerHow much electricity data centers use
Check it: The project has been under BLM review since 2025; no approval has been granted, and Boise Mayor Lauren McLean has publicly opposed it.
Planning documents filed with Aurora show Vantage Data Centers seeking a use by right rezoning for a 143 acre site near E 470 and East 48th Avenue to build two buildings totaling roughly 862,000 square feet, with 334 megawatts of IT capacity and about 500 megawatts of total electrical demand. At full buildout, the campus would use about 11 times the power of Denver International Airport. Because Aurora allows data centers by right in the zone, no public hearing is required. The property sits in a residential area of the city's third largest population center.
Colorado NewslineSiting, zoning and standardsSecret contracts and disclosureHow much electricity data centers useLocal opposition and consent
Check it: Whether Aurora requires any further public review before the rezoning takes effect and how the local utility will serve the load.
CalMatters reports that three of the seven signed bills shift grid infrastructure costs from residential customers to data center operators, three add reporting requirements on water and other resources, and one narrows exemptions available to the industry. The piece notes that Newsom vetoed a similar water disclosure bill in 2025 and that the Data Center Coalition cites 665,500 jobs and $14.1 billion in taxes tied to California data centers in 2024.
CalMattersLaws, bills and regulationWho pays for the grid buildoutJobsWater use
Check it: The 665,500 jobs figure includes indirect and induced jobs from an industry funded study, not just data center employees.
Governor Greg Abbott ordered the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to suspend action on all data center environmental permits until ERCOT and the Texas Water Development Board complete audits of the sector, expanding earlier grid and water directives into a statewide, multi agency pause. Data centers seeking to move forward must satisfy conditions covering electric infrastructure costs, water conservation, and setback compliance, with a compliance report due to the governor by October 19.
Office of the Texas GovernorLaws, bills and regulationSiting, zoning and standardsWater useCapacity prices and grid costs
Check it: The order is an executive directive to TCEQ, not a change to statute, and its scope depends on how TCEQ implements it for pending applications.
CBS Texas frames the September 21 directive as part of a series of Abbott moves in 2026, from a June requirement that data centers fully fund their own electric infrastructure to August audits and September water survey enforcement. Industry groups have signaled worries that the pause could push announced Texas projects to other states, while opposition groups say the audits are overdue.
CBS News TexasLaws, bills and regulationSiting, zoning and standardsLocal opposition and consent
Check it: The moratorium is a temporary pause tied to agency audits, not a permanent ban, and existing permitted projects continue to operate.
Google filed a third air permit modification with the Indiana Department of Environmental Management to add 228 diesel emergency generators to the 174 already permitted at its Fort Wayne campus, along with additional fuel storage. Google says the generators are strictly for utility outages, while neighbors said the growing generator count raises air quality concerns.
WBOIAir quality and on-site powerSecret contracts and disclosureLocal opposition and consent
Check it: Emergency generators are permitted under limited runtime hours. Actual air impact depends on how often they operate, which IDEM tracks through annual reporting.
Bloomberg reports on Data Center Watch findings that 45 projects worth about $68 billion faced disruption from local opposition between April and June 2026, more than half of the new large scale developments tracked in the period. The tracker counts 843 opposition groups in 49 states and 30 statehouses that have introduced or adopted new siting or resource rules.
BloombergLocal opposition and consentLaws, bills and regulationSiting, zoning and standards
Check it: Disrupted does not mean canceled. It includes delays, moratoriums, denied permits and withdrawn applications tracked by the industry aligned research group 10a Labs.
Governor Greg Abbott directed the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to pause all data center permits until ERCOT and the Texas Water Development Board finish audits of the industry's electricity and water use. Supporters of the order say it forces data centers to pay their own way and protects consumers, while industry groups warn the pause could deter investment. TCEQ must report on compliance by October 19.
Texas TribuneLaws, bills and regulationWho pays for the grid buildoutWater use
Check it: Confirm the scope of the pause, whether it applies to already-permitted projects, and how long the audits are expected to take.
The county council was scheduled to vote September 21 to extend the existing data center moratorium, currently expiring January 1, through December 2027. Councilman David Marks said the extension gives the public more time to weigh in on land use, tax and water concerns. The Planning Board approved its own data center report with 20 amendments on September 17.
Baltimore SunLocal opposition and consentSiting, zoning and standards
Check it: Verify the final vote result and whether the extended moratorium contains carve-outs for pending applications.
The AI research group Data Center Watch reported that 45 US data center projects worth roughly $68 billion were blocked or delayed between April and June 2026, and tallied 843 local opposition groups in 49 states. Industry backers say most flagged projects are only delayed and will move forward, while opponents cite the numbers as evidence that consent and siting rules need to catch up with the buildout.
BlockonomiLocal opposition and consentSiting, zoning and standardsSecret contracts and disclosure
Check it: Data Center Watch is a private research project, and the $68 billion figure combines blocked and delayed projects, not just canceled ones.
NPR reports that around two thirds of Americans oppose new data centers in their communities in a recent Economist/YouGov poll, that roughly 640,000 people are now involved in local opposition groups, and that non-disclosure agreements have been signed in 25 of 31 Virginia localities with active data center activity. Industry representatives quoted argue the facilities still deliver large tax bases like the 39 percent of Loudoun County's fiscal 2026 budget from data centers.
NPR (via STLPR)Local opposition and consentSecret contracts and disclosureLocal property tax revenue
Check it: The NDA figure comes from research by sociologist Eric Bonds and applies to Virginia localities with existing or proposed projects, not to data center approvals nationally.
CBS 60 Minutes broadcast a segment with correspondent Norah O'Donnell reporting from rural Texas on residents and county officials pushing back against fast-tracked AI data center campuses. The piece features a Texas county commissioner saying developers tried to "razzle dazzle" without disclosing specifics, and industry voices arguing the projects bring tax base and infrastructure.
CBS NewsLocal opposition and consentSecret contracts and disclosureAI race and national security
Check it: 60 Minutes is a broadcast news segment, not a survey. Individual county experiences do not necessarily reflect state-level policy outcomes.
Woodbury's city council is scheduled to consider a proposed interim ordinance on September 23 that could pause new data center applications for up to a year while the city develops zoning rules. The draft would block building permits, rezonings and conditional use permits for covered projects. City staff cite growing developer interest and the absence of specific data center rules in current zoning.
OPBLocal opposition and consentSiting, zoning and standards
Check it: Confirm the outcome of the September 23 vote and the length of the moratorium adopted.
At its September public meeting the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission unanimously created a Ratemaking Working Group to examine how profit is built into rate increases, out-of-cycle rider charges and disclosure of black-box settlements. It also directed staff to revisit emergency electric load control rules as demand from large loads grows. Consumer advocates supported the moves; utilities said existing processes already provide oversight.
The Cool DownWho pays for the grid buildoutSecret contracts and disclosureLaws, bills and regulation
Check it: Check the PUC order for the working group's charter and any deadlines for staff recommendations.
Coverage of the Ohio Supreme Court's September 18 ruling that a proposed citizen ordinance regulating a Wilmington data center cannot appear on the November ballot because it would create a private right of action outside city authority. Backers of the ballot measure say they will look for other regulatory paths, while the developer says existing zoning already addresses the concerns.
Fox19 CincinnatiSiting, zoning and standardsLaws, bills and regulationLocal opposition and consent
Check it: The ruling turns on Ohio home-rule authority over private causes of action and does not decide the merits of the underlying noise, water and air concerns raised by residents.
The Daily Caller News Foundation reports that a planned national data center protest organized by the Humans First group and allied activists drew only a small crowd in Washington. Industry-aligned commentators cite the low turnout as evidence that opposition is concentrated locally rather than nationally, while organizers say local moratoriums are the truer measure of resistance.
Daily Caller News FoundationLocal opposition and consent
Check it: Outlet has a right-leaning editorial slant. Attendance at a single rally is a weak proxy for the size of the broader opposition movement, which tracks 843 local groups per Data Center Watch.
Woodbury officials have released a draft interim ordinance that would pause new data center applications, building permits, rezonings and comprehensive plan changes for up to a year while staff draft permanent rules. City staff cite growing developer interest tied to AI and cloud expansion, while some council members say a pause could deter investment.
Woodbury News NetSiting, zoning and standardsLocal opposition and consent
Check it: The measure is only a draft going to the September 23 council meeting. It has not yet been adopted and would still allow projects already in the pipeline.
The story follows residents in Monrovia, in Morgan County, who say non-disclosure agreements signed by local officials prevented them from learning about a nearby data center before it broke ground. Industry representatives argue that confidential negotiations are standard for large siting decisions, and Indiana legislators cited in the story say they will revisit disclosure bills that failed in the 2026 session.
The RepublicSecret contracts and disclosureLocal opposition and consentLaws, bills and regulation
Check it: Confirm whether the NDAs were with a public body or a private economic development entity, since disclosure rules differ.
Residents are appealing a Twiggs County lawsuit challenging the commission's 2025 rezoning of roughly 300 acres for a data center, arguing the county bypassed its own rules requiring third-party review of large developments. Residents also cite health concerns from anticipated construction and operations. County officials have defended the process as lawful.
13WMAZSiting, zoning and standardsLocal opposition and consentAir quality and on-site power
Check it: Verify whether the appeal is in Superior Court or the Court of Appeals and what specific ordinance provisions are cited.
Governor Joe Lombardo signed Executive Order 2026-005, the Nevada Standard for Responsible Data Center Development. It bars new abatements on the Local School Support Tax, limits sales and use tax breaks, and requires developers to cover their own power costs and meet water and community commitments before economic development approvals. Supporters say it protects schools and ratepayers, and critics say the state can still grant large abatements under the trimmed program.
Fox 5 Las VegasState tax breaksWho pays for the grid buildoutLaws, bills and regulationSecret contracts and disclosure
Check it: Read Executive Order 2026-005 to confirm which abatements are eliminated versus reduced and which apply only to new applications.
The Ohio Supreme Court ruled that the Clinton County Board of Elections could keep a proposed Wilmington ordinance off the November ballot. The measure would have created noise, water and pollution standards for data centers and let residents sue for violations, and the court said only the state legislature can create such a private cause of action. Opponents of a proposed $4 billion Amazon Web Services campus in Wilmington said they will continue separate challenges to emergency rezoning ordinances.
Court News OhioLocal opposition and consentSiting, zoning and standardsLaws, bills and regulation
Check it: Read the court's per curiam decision to see whether it turned on the private right of action alone or on broader home rule limits.
Ohio Capital Journal counted 138 local moratoriums and 23 outright bans across the state as of September 17, concentrated in Logan, Union and Champaign counties. A Bowling Green State University poll of 1,000 likely voters released September 16 found 78 percent support pausing new data centers pending more information, and 47 percent say a candidate's stance is very or extremely important. Industry backers point to Ohio's operating fleet and pipeline, and opponents cite grid, tax and water concerns.
Ohio Capital JournalLocal opposition and consentLaws, bills and regulationSiting, zoning and standards
Check it: Compare the OCJ tally to the BGSU sample and margin of error, and check whether the counted moratoriums include expired or non-binding measures.
The report lays out proposals from Ohio lawmakers and Policy Matters Ohio to eliminate the sales tax exemption and property tax abatements that data centers receive through JobsOhio and local enterprise zones. Supporters of ending the incentives cite low permanent job counts and lost school revenue, and industry backers argue the tax breaks are what attracted more than $50 billion in announced investment.
Ohio Capital JournalState tax breaksLocal property tax revenueJobs
Check it: Ask what share of new data center property in Ohio is actually abated versus fully taxed at local rates, since the incentive mix varies by county.
The Mississippi River Cities and Towns Initiative met in Natchez on September 16 and called for state laws modeled on Missouri's 2025 rule requiring permits to move water more than 30 miles across state lines. Lawmakers from Mississippi, Louisiana and Minnesota said they will file similar bills, and the group cited that 75 percent of its member cities have been approached about hosting AI infrastructure.
Mississippi TodayWater useLaws, bills and regulationLocal opposition and consent
Check it: Look at the Missouri statute the mayors want to copy, since it regulates cross-state water exports rather than in-state data center use itself.
Aterio's September pipeline report says Amazon Web Services is in early discussions with the developer of the Homer City Energy Campus in Indiana County, Pennsylvania, about a data center campus tied to the site's planned 4.5 gigawatt gas plant. The report also flags a $5 billion AWS proposal for 18 buildings on 601 acres near Trenton, Ohio, where two townships rejected an annexation petition in August.
AterioHow much electricity data centers useCapacity prices and grid costsAir quality and on-site power
Check it: Aterio compiles from public filings and reporting, so treat the discussion as early-stage until AWS or the developer confirms a signed agreement.
Governor Abigail Spanberger signed Executive Order 22 launching a Data Center Accountability Framework that bans state agency nondisclosure agreements with data center operators, removes large facilities from fast-track permitting, and calls for legislation ending by-right approval for projects using more than 25 megawatts. Industry groups have not endorsed the framework, and Senate President Pro Tempore Louise Lucas said it still leaves in place the state sales tax exemption that industry critics say costs Virginia about 2 billion dollars.
Cardinal NewsSecret contracts and disclosureLaws, bills and regulationSiting, zoning and standardsState tax breaks
Check it: The executive order applies to state agencies, not local officials, and by-right approval and tax exemption changes still require action from the General Assembly.
Coverage details Virginia's new framework, including a proposed 25 megawatt threshold for mandatory local approval, expedited noise regulations, water use standards, limits on on-site gas generation, and priority grid access for facilities using clean backup power. Clean Virginia called the order a meaningful step but urged a development pause, while the Piedmont Environmental Council said the plan does not address the immediacy of the issue.
Virginia BusinessSiting, zoning and standardsAir quality and on-site powerWater useNoise, appearance and rural character
Check it: Most of the substantive limits require legislation or new agency rules; noise rules are not scheduled to be finalized until 2029.
Fort Wayne City Council is weighing a 365-day moratorium on city actions that could support new data center development, including annexations, property purchases, contracts and tax abatements. The Google data center already under construction in southeast Fort Wayne is carved out and would not be affected.
InkFreeNewsLocal opposition and consentSiting, zoning and standardsLocal property tax revenue
Check it: The measures were introduced but have not been voted on; the exemption for Google's project means the immediate blast radius of the pause is on future proposals.
A nonprofit and 11 residents filed suit seeking to reverse an August 18 rezoning that changed roughly 26.5 acres from high-density residential to office and business district, potentially clearing the way for a data center. Plaintiffs argue the city took or damaged their property without compensation and that the project sits at the hyperscale threshold the city's ordinance was meant to exclude. The mayor cast the tiebreaking vote for the rezoning.
Statesboro HeraldSiting, zoning and standardsLocal opposition and consent
Check it: Confirm the case number in Bulloch County Superior Court and check whether an injunction is sought.
The Lycoming County Planning Commission reviewed a draft curative amendment to the county land development ordinance that would define data centers and set standards for power sourcing, water supply, permitted zones, setbacks, noise and decommissioning. County officials say the draft is needed because Pennsylvania developers can otherwise site facilities anywhere a use is not specifically prohibited. Public comment is expected to open 30 days before hearings that may begin in mid-November.
Williamsport Sun-GazetteSiting, zoning and standardsNoise, appearance and rural character
Check it: Read the draft amendment for specific setback distances and decommissioning bond requirements.
The Colorado Springs City Council voted 7 to 2 to delay a final decision on the proposed Raeden Project Taurus data center until April 13, 2027, after a lengthy public hearing that ended with three arrests. Council members supporting the delay cited the need to draft data center rules and negotiate a large load contract, while two dissenters said they were ready to reject the project.
Colorado Public RadioLocal opposition and consentSiting, zoning and standards
Check it: The vote postpones rather than approves or rejects the project. Council composition can shift in the April 2027 municipal election, which could change the outcome.
The Colorado Sun reports on a new Magellan Strategies survey of 1,389 registered Colorado voters that finds 82 percent oppose a data center in their city or town, and 55 percent favor a ban on all new data center construction. Industry voices in the piece argue the projects deliver tax base and workforce, while opponents say the polling reflects hardening public sentiment across parties.
Colorado SunLocal opposition and consent
Check it: Magellan Strategies is a Republican-leaning firm. The poll was conducted online August 26 to September 2 with a margin of error of about 2.6 points.
Mayor Cherelle Parker signed an executive order forming a Philadelphia Data Center Task Force to study the potential energy, water, environmental and economic effects of hyperscale projects, with a report due June 30, 2027. Supporters call the review a first step toward guardrails, while some residents at a city hall protest called on the mayor to back a moratorium instead.
Billy PennSiting, zoning and standardsLaws, bills and regulation
Check it: A task force is advisory. Any restrictions on future data centers would still need council legislation to take effect.
TerraWatt partner David Lambiaso sued the St. Louis Board of Adjustment over two conditions attached to a use permit for a proposed $3.1 billion, 120 megawatt data center at the former Famous-Barr warehouse. The suit says a requirement to use 2.4 megawatts of on-site renewables and to secure Board of Aldermen approval of a community benefits agreement exceed the board's authority, and city officials point to a projected $445 million in tax revenue over ten years.
STLPRSiting, zoning and standardsLocal property tax revenueLocal opposition and consent
Check it: Read the complaint to see whether it challenges the conditions on state law grounds or only on city charter authority.
Senator Martin Heinrich of New Mexico objected to a unanimous consent request from Senator Jon Husted of Ohio to fast-track the Ratepayer Protection Act, which the House passed 417 to 3 on September 16 and would require data centers over 100 megawatts of peak demand to cover the full incremental cost of grid upgrades. Heinrich argued the bill lacked enforcement teeth and offered his own GRID Savings Act, which would give FERC rulemaking authority over facilities of 150 megawatts or more.
CBS NewsWho pays for the grid buildoutWho holds the riskLaws, bills and regulation
Check it: Neither the Ratepayer Protection Act nor the GRID Savings Act has passed the Senate; the House measure sets a federal floor but leaves rate design to states.
The Ratepayer Protection Act, which cleared the House with only three no votes, was halted in the Senate after Heinrich objected. Senators Richard Blumenthal and Josh Hawley separately urged committee leaders to consider their own GRID Act, and Senator Tom Cotton has offered a DATA Act that would give exemptions to data centers that build their own generation.
Roll CallWho pays for the grid buildoutLaws, bills and regulation
Check it: The competing bills differ on whether cost recovery from data centers should be mandatory or voluntary and where the megawatt threshold sits.
The Colorado Springs City Council voted 7 to 2 to postpone until April 13, 2027 a decision on appeals of the 50 megawatt Raeden Project Taurus data center at a former chip plant, one week after the city's next municipal election. About 126 residents signed up to speak against the project and 22 in support; four people were arrested during the meeting.
Colorado Springs GazetteLocal opposition and consentNoise, appearance and rural characterSiting, zoning and standards
Check it: The council did not reject the appeal; the postponement means the underlying land use approvals remain in place until April.
About 200 people gathered at the Missouri Capitol rotunda during the legislature's veto session to call for a statewide moratorium on hyperscale data center construction, an end to tax incentives, and stronger community input rules. Governor Mike Kehoe has publicly backed data center investment; a scheduled House committee hearing on data center regulation had been canceled.
KBIALocal opposition and consentState tax breaksSecret contracts and disclosure
Check it: No moratorium bill is currently before the legislature; the rally targets the 2027 session that convenes in January.
Columbus City Council took first reading of an ordinance directing the city's water and power utility to design a new rate class for high-volume users like data centers, with recommendations due by October 26. Second reading is scheduled for September 28, and if adopted the framework would require large-load users to pay for the infrastructure their demand triggers rather than shifting it to residential and small business ratepayers.
WOSU Public MediaWho pays for the grid buildoutWater useWho holds the risk
Check it: The ordinance does not itself set a new rate; it authorizes the utility to propose one, which then would need council approval.
Nvidia, Google and Emerald AI announced the AI Energy Management Alliance, a group of about 21 companies including Anthropic and several utilities focused on data centers that cut grid draw during peak hours by shifting workloads or using on-site batteries. Google said its own demand response capacity exceeds 1 gigawatt, and Emerald AI and Nvidia said they are building a 100 MW power-flexible AI facility in Manassas, Virginia.
SiliconANGLEFlexible loadCapacity prices and grid costsEfficiency and forecasts
Check it: The alliance's commitments are voluntary and not yet tied to enforceable flexibility standards, and the 100 MW Manassas project is announced, not built.
Neighbors of xAI's Colossus site in Memphis filed a class action alleging that a bank of about 60 jet-engine-derived gas turbines produces a constant hum that has exceeded 70 decibels and has harmed their health and property values. xAI told local officials in July it would replace the turbines within a year with quieter permanent units.
WKNO / NPRNoise, appearance and rural characterAir quality and on-site powerLocal opposition and consent
Check it: Read the complaint to see what decibel measurements plaintiffs are citing and whether xAI's promised turbine replacement is on the record with regulators.
In Pine Island, a town of 4,000 outside Rochester, at least three first-time candidates for mayor and city council are running because they oppose a proposed Google data center on roughly 88 acres that could later expand to more than 400 acres. Construction is currently paused pending an environmental review lawsuit; supporters cite promises of about 100 permanent jobs, 500 construction jobs and $131 million in projected property tax revenue.
MPR NewsLocal opposition and consentJobsLocal property tax revenue
Check it: The job and revenue figures are the developer's forecast; check any independent fiscal analysis or the environmental review that halted construction.
Microsoft filed a permit application with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for the MNZ07 Wellington Data Center on about 123 acres near Gainesville, Virginia, with two one-story buildings and an on-site substation. Microsoft bought the site in 2024 for about $465.5 million; a separate Virginia Department of Environmental Quality filing was submitted in July.
DataCenter DynamicsSiting, zoning and standardsLocal opposition and consentHow much electricity data centers use
Check it: Confirm whether Prince William supervisors and Dominion have to approve additional zoning, substation or transmission steps before construction can start.
Mayor James Mueller signed an executive order barring city employees and appointees from signing nondisclosure agreements about data center projects after council members learned two department heads had signed NDAs with Amazon. Mueller says the order takes effect immediately and future agreements must state they are public records. Council members separately introduced an NDA-ban ordinance for first reading September 28, which Mueller said he would veto as exceeding council authority.
WNDUSecret contracts and disclosureLocal opposition and consent
Check it: Read the executive order text to see which contracts it covers and whether it applies retroactively.
The Raritan Township Committee unanimously amended the Land Development Code to prohibit data centers throughout the municipality, while allowing small accessory server rooms up to 2,000 square feet or 10 percent of a building. The mayor said the ban gives the township time to consider whether data centers fit its character. It is a permanent ordinance, not a moratorium.
WRNJ RadioLocal opposition and consentSiting, zoning and standardsNoise, appearance and rural character
Check it: Check whether the ordinance is subject to any state land use challenge and what triggered the vote.
A group of Mona-area residents filed an appeal asking Juab County commissioners to reverse a conditional use permit for a roughly 3 million square foot data center campus valued at about $10 billion, arguing the four-minute hearing that approved it failed to provide adequate notice. County officials say the notice met state requirements, and the developer says the project will bring investment and jobs.
Salt Lake TribuneSecret contracts and disclosureSiting, zoning and standardsLocal opposition and consent
Check it: The appeal challenges the permitting process, not the merits of the project itself. Utah state law sets the notice thresholds county officials cite.
The U.S. House voted 417-3 to pass the Ratepayer Protection Act, which would require state utility regulators to consider standards making data centers of 100 MW or more pay the full incremental cost of new generation, transmission and distribution infrastructure. It also calls for financial assurances before upgrades begin and cost recovery if a large load exits early; the Senate has not yet acted.
Utility DiveWho pays for the grid buildoutLaws, bills and regulationWho holds the risk
Check it: The bill directs states to consider these standards, not adopt them, and still needs Senate passage and the president's signature.
Loudoun County's Board of Supervisors voted 7-1-1 to direct staff to draft a resolution pausing new legislative applications for data centers and substations for up to 12 months while the county rewrites its rules. A final vote on the draft is slated for Oct. 20, with a retroactive effective date of Sept. 15 if adopted.
FOX 5 DCLocal opposition and consentSiting, zoning and standardsLaws, bills and regulation
Check it: This is a step toward a resolution, not a final ban; the pause applies only to new applications and the county attorney has said any pause must be time-limited.
Two Michigan Republican members of Congress introduced federal bills that would bar Washington from overriding state and local control of data center siting and prohibit non-disclosure agreements about them, while a Michigan Democrat filed a bill to strip data center access to certain federal opportunity-zone tax breaks. In Lansing, state moratorium and community-benefit bills remain stalled and Governor Whitmer has said she would veto any statewide moratorium.
WCMU Public MediaLaws, bills and regulationSecret contracts and disclosureState tax breaks
Check it: None of these bills has passed a chamber; check whether committee hearings have been scheduled.
The Board directed staff to draft a resolution establishing a temporary pause of up to twelve months on legislative applications for data centers and substations, effective immediately, with a formal adoption vote scheduled for October 2. The pause applies only to items that need a board vote and does not touch administrative approvals, and the county attorney said an indefinite moratorium would not be legal. Supporters say the county needs time to update standards; industry groups warn about signaling risk to investment.
Loudoun Times-MirrorLocal opposition and consentSiting, zoning and standardsLaws, bills and regulation
Check it: The pause is not yet final; the formal resolution vote is scheduled for October 2, 2026, and by-right and administrative projects are not included.
Virginia's Department of Environmental Quality issued a $2.5 million civil penalty, its largest ever against a data center, after a June 2025 substation failure led Microsoft's Compass Creek Parkway facility to run 62 diesel generators for seven days and exceed permitted limits for nitrogen oxides, volatile organic compounds and particulate matter. Microsoft agreed to fund air monitoring equipment for high-density data center areas and said it has spent about $31 million on a dual-feed system to reduce the odds of a repeat outage. The order was signed by Microsoft on September 3 and is open for public comment through October 14.
Virginia BusinessAir quality and on-site powerSecret contracts and disclosure
Check it: The penalty is not final until DEQ closes the comment period on October 14; the emission overage totals are one year of aggregate measurements, not a single-day plume.
In a study commissioned by the state Public Utility Commission and released this week, Synapse Energy Economics projected that under PJM's current load forecast the region falls short of its planning standard from 2027 through 2030, and under a high data center scenario new demand between 2029 and 2030 alone would exceed Pennsylvania's current annual use. PUC Chair Stephen DeFrank cited the findings in floating a model tariff for customers of 50 megawatts and above. Industry groups say the projections assume little new generation and no successful demand response.
WFMZCapacity prices and grid costsHow much electricity data centers useWho pays for the grid buildoutWho holds the risk
Check it: The 13-plus outages figure is a modeled high-growth scenario, not a forecast; the baseline case is roughly 5.9 shortfall events per decade.
Senator Mark Warner and Representative Suhas Subramanyam unveiled a package including the Responsible Data Center Siting Act, the Data Center Fair Share Act and companion transparency bills that would push states to adopt large-load tariffs so residential customers do not shoulder grid upgrades built to serve data centers. The bills would also require public disclosure of energy, water, emissions and backup generation data and condition federal tax benefits on efficiency standards. Data center trade groups say the federal push duplicates state regulatory work already under way.
WHROSecret contracts and disclosureWho pays for the grid buildoutLaws, bills and regulationSiting, zoning and standards
Check it: These are newly introduced bills in a divided Congress; they have not moved out of committee and would need state cooperation to implement the tariff provisions.
Financial disclosure filings show Republican Vivek Ramaswamy holds more than a dozen positions in companies tied to data centers while pledging on day one to require new facilities to generate their own power and pay for local electricity offsets. Democrat Amy Acton holds Microsoft and Iron Mountain stock and supports a conditional moratorium unless cost, labor, transparency and community benefit conditions are met. Libertarian Don Kissick, who opposes new data centers outright, reports no related holdings.
Ohio Capital JournalLaws, bills and regulationSecret contracts and disclosureLocal opposition and consent
Check it: Passive index funds can appear as data center exposure on disclosures without direct control; check whether holdings are individual stocks or mutual funds.
An application to rezone more than 1,000 acres from agricultural to light-industrial use in the DeSoto County town of Walls has drawn enough public interest that the September 22 planning commission meeting has been relocated. Applicants have not publicly named a data center operator, but residents say the size and utility footprint suggest a hyperscale campus.
Mississippi TodayLocal opposition and consentSiting, zoning and standardsWater use
Check it: No operator or specific data center use has been named in the filing; the rezoning is for light-industrial use generally.
The Indianapolis MDC unanimously voted 6-0 for a data center moratorium through no later than December 31, 2027, while separately approving a ten-year real property tax abatement and fifteen-year personal property tax abatement for what officials called the largest private capital investment in city history. The abatement covers a project vested before the moratorium.
Inside INdiana BusinessState tax breaksLocal property tax revenueLocal opposition and consent
Check it: The moratorium applies to new applications; the $240M abatement is for a project already in the pipeline, illustrating how grandfathered items proceed.
Brownsville commissioners approved a resolution directing the city manager to draft an ordinance imposing a temporary 90-day moratorium on new rezoning or permit applications for high-intensity data processing facilities while staff study standards. The action follows Governor Greg Abbott's August 2026 statewide audit of pending data center interconnection requests.
MyRGVLocal opposition and consentSiting, zoning and standardsLaws, bills and regulation
Check it: The commissioners directed the drafting of an ordinance; final adoption still requires a follow-up vote.
Sen. Mark Warner and Rep. Suhas Subramanyam rolled out a slate of federal bills including the Data Center Fair Share Act, which would push states to adopt tariffs so data centers cover their own energy infrastructure or forfeit federal highway funds. The push comes as Fauquier County's Planning Commission is set to review the 900 MW, 2.2 million square foot Remington Innovation Campus on September 17.
Virginia MercuryWho pays for the grid buildoutLaws, bills and regulationWho holds the risk
Check it: Whether the bills have Republican co-sponsors and any Senate committee movement, and whether the highway-funds enforcement mechanism is likely to survive legislative markup.
County planning staff presented a draft ordinance requiring 500 foot setbacks, 15 foot landscape buffers, 60 decibel noise caps at the property line and a ban on nuclear power for on-site generation. The Joint Planning Board will take up the draft again October 20 before commissioners consider it in November or December, and staff told the board most public input has opposed data centers in the county.
CityView NCSiting, zoning and standardsNoise, appearance and rural characterLocal opposition and consent
Check it: Compare the 60 decibel property line cap to actual measured levels from other data center campuses to judge whether it forces cooling design changes.
A Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission-commissioned study by Synapse Energy Economics projected that PJM will fail to meet its own reliability planning standard from 2027 through 2030 under PJM's current load forecast, with data center demand as the main driver. In a worst case, the modeled 2030 loss-of-load expectation reaches 13.2 events per year.
WHYYHow much electricity data centers useCapacity prices and grid costsEfficiency and forecasts
Check it: The reliability numbers are modeled scenarios that assume little new supply comes online; actual outcomes depend on generation additions and demand-response through the decade.
The Pennsylvania Capital-Star reports on the same PUC-commissioned study, noting that Pennsylvania electricity demand could nearly double between 2025 and 2040, almost entirely due to data centers, and that as of mid-August 89 data centers were planned, under construction or already operating in the state.
Pennsylvania Capital-StarHow much electricity data centers useCapacity prices and grid costs
Check it: The doubling-of-demand headline comes from a load projection, not measured consumption, and depends on how many announced projects actually get built.
The Woodburn City Council unanimously approved a four-month pause on accepting, reviewing or approving new data storage and IT facility applications while staff study zoning, utilities, water, energy and noise impacts. No data center applications are currently pending in the city, and the move follows Hillsboro's similar 120-day pause and a state land pause ordered by Governor Tina Kotek earlier in September.
KPTVLocal opposition and consentSiting, zoning and standards
Check it: The moratorium is 120 days and does not cover other industrial projects; it is a study pause, not a permanent ban.
New tracking data shows the Atlanta metro has passed Northern Virginia as the US market with the most data center capacity under construction, measured by projected electricity consumption. Georgia has approved 20 minor-source air permits for data center diesel generators since January 2025, roughly matching the entire prior decade. A proposed federal EPA rule change would let states decide when to require public notice on such permits.
Atlanta Journal-ConstitutionHow much electricity data centers useAir quality and on-site powerLocal property tax revenueLocal opposition and consent
Check it: Rankings depend on how you measure capacity, construction underway versus operational; check whether the same methodology is applied year over year.
State-level analysis cited by regional news estimates Ohio's existing data center sales tax exemption has cost the state more than $2 billion in forgone revenue, prompting Governor Mike DeWine's executive pause on new incentives while a replacement policy is developed. Scioto Analysis is expected to release a cost-benefit study of Ohio data center projects this fall.
Signal OhioState tax breaksLocal property tax revenue
Check it: Forgone-revenue estimates depend on assumptions about whether the projects would have located in Ohio without the exemption; the DeWine pause is administrative, not a legislative repeal.
ConstructConnect's September 2026 data center report puts year-to-date data center construction starts at $84.1 billion through July, close to a quarter of all nonresidential building construction so far in 2026 and nearly three times the year-earlier level. The report also notes rising cost per square foot and a shift of activity from coastal metros to the Midwest and Southeast.
ConstructConnectHow much electricity data centers useJobsLocal property tax revenue
Check it: Construction starts count announced project value at the point of groundbreaking; they are not built capacity.
Attorney General Mayes asked Governor Hobbs and the legislature to enact a one-year moratorium on approvals of hyperscale AI data centers, citing rising electric bills and a roughly 30 percent cut to Arizona's Colorado River allocation. Mayes also announced a town hall on the proposed Ahwatukee data center. State lawmakers already paused Arizona's data center sales tax exemption for three years in the 2026 session.
Arizona Attorney GeneralWater useWho pays for the grid buildoutLocal opposition and consentLaws, bills and regulation
Check it: The AG has no unilateral authority to impose a moratorium; enactment would require the governor or legislature.
Lima City Council approved an 18-month moratorium on new data center construction and on new city water requests from outside municipalities, so that staff can study siting, water and power standards. Mayor Sharetta Smith cited Ohio's rapid data center growth. The moratorium does not affect the existing water agreement for a Google data center under development in American Township.
LimaOhio.comLocal opposition and consentWater useSiting, zoning and standards
Check it: Whether the pause covers new applications only or freezes projects already in the pipeline, and how the Google American Township carve-out is worded.
Supervisor Shamann Walton, joined by Connie Chan, Chyanne Chen and Jackie Fielder, introduced a 45-day urgency ordinance to freeze new data center approvals, with an eye toward a permanent citywide ban. Under state law the interim ordinance needs a four-fifths vote and can be extended to nearly two years if the planning commission finds a public-welfare threat. The proposal follows expansion plans at NOVVA's 400 Paul Avenue project in Bayview.
HoodlineLocal opposition and consentSiting, zoning and standardsAir quality and on-site power
Check it: Whether the four-fifths supermajority is secured for the interim ordinance and how the moratorium treats projects that already have entitlements.
The Hayward City Council took up a legislative referral from Mayor Mark Salinas and two colleagues directing staff to begin amending the zoning code to prohibit new data centers, following pushback against an approved 76.6-megawatt facility with 28 diesel backup generators. Hayward had already amended its code in April 2026 to require major conditional use permits for such projects.
City of HaywardLocal opposition and consentAir quality and on-site powerSiting, zoning and standards
Check it: Whether the referral produces an actual ordinance and how it treats data centers that already hold permits, including the 76.6 MW project.
In a 7-1-1 vote, the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors directed staff to draft a resolution pausing new data center applications for up to 12 months while it develops new rules. Board Chair Phyllis Randall framed the pause as temporary; the county attorney said an indefinite moratorium would likely be illegal. A final vote is expected in October.
Data Center DynamicsSiting, zoning and standardsLocal opposition and consentLaws, bills and regulation
Check it: Whether the final October vote adopts the 12-month pause, whether by-right grandfathering is preserved, and how many pending applications would be captured.
Virginia's Department of Environmental Quality issued a consent order requiring Microsoft to pay roughly $2.5 million over air-quality violations at its Compass Creek Parkway data center in Leesburg during a June 27 to July 1, 2025 substation outage. The agency says the site exceeded permitted limits for nitrogen oxides, particulate matter and volatile organic compounds; Microsoft says it has invested about $31 million in reliability upgrades. The order is subject to public comment through October 14.
NewsBreak / WJLAAir quality and on-site powerLocal opposition and consentWho holds the risk
Check it: Whether this is the largest DEQ air-quality penalty on record, whether the consent order becomes final after public comment, and how backup generator runtime rules apply during grid outages.
Attorney General Jeff Jackson filed a request in Duke Energy's pending rate case asking the North Carolina Utilities Commission to create a distinct rate class so data center customers pay directly for the transmission and generation built to serve them. Jackson says residential customers should not subsidize the buildout, while Duke has said any new tariff must still recover costs and support growth.
NC NewslineWho pays for the grid buildoutCapacity prices and grid costsWho holds the risk
Check it: Confirm the commission's docket number and follow whether it opens a separate proceeding on the request.
Meta announced an expansion of its Eagle Mountain campus that will lift total Utah investment above $3 billion, add a 150 MW battery storage facility and use closed-loop liquid cooling with dry cooling. Meta says the expansion supports roughly 1,200 peak construction jobs and about 300 permanent roles once complete, plus $2.5 million in local school and community grants.
Check it: Meta's water and jobs figures are self-reported; check state and utility filings for actual power and water contracts, and confirm the 150 MW battery is committed, not aspirational.
Moody's Ratings estimates that the U.S. needs roughly 45 GW of new power generation costing about $110 billion by 2030 to serve data center growth, with more than 30 GW coming from natural gas and less than 5 percent from nuclear restarts. The report says the total buildout could add $25 to $30 billion a year to U.S. electricity costs, with data centers directly financing up to $15 billion of it through behind-the-meter projects.
BloombergHow much electricity data centers useWho pays for the grid buildoutCapacity prices and grid costsAir quality and on-site power
Check it: The $25-30 billion cost figure is Moody's estimate, not a utility filing; look at each region's approved integrated resource plan for what is actually being built.
Governor Greg Abbott directed the Texas Water Development Board to use its enforcement authority against data centers and other large users that fail to file the state's mandatory water-use survey. The order refers uncooperative operators for possible criminal prosecution and directs the TCEQ to block related permit renewals, with an enforcement report due to the governor by October 14.
Texas TribuneWater useSecret contracts and disclosureLaws, bills and regulation
Check it: Whether any operator has actually been penalized versus put on notice, and how much of the missing data is from data centers specifically as opposed to other large water users.
Pioneer village council voted 6-0 to impose a six-month moratorium on data center approvals after a developer approached the planning commission the prior week. The measure blocks the council from acting on any proposed data center during the pause but does not permanently prohibit them and can be shortened by later council action.
Bryan TimesLocal opposition and consentSiting, zoning and standards
Check it: Whether the developer that prompted the pause has publicly named a site or capacity, and whether the six-month clock could be extended.
Cornelis Networks announced a $205 million funding round led by IAG Capital Partners and unveiled Active Compute Fabric, an AI networking architecture aimed at improving GPU utilization inside and between servers. The company also disclosed a partnership with Qualcomm, part of a broader industry push to reduce idle AI accelerator time.
SiliconANGLEEfficiency and forecastsAI race and national security
Check it: Whether the utilization gains are measured in production workloads or vendor benchmarks, and whether the fabric ships in customer data centers before the end of 2026.
PSO went before the Oklahoma Corporation Commission seeking approval for hundreds of millions of dollars in new generation, arguing that data center load will spread fixed costs and reduce residential bills over time. The utility pointed to sister company Indiana Michigan Power, which has asked Indiana regulators for a roughly $100 per year residential reduction tied to large-load growth.
Oklahoma Energy TodayWho pays for the grid buildoutJobsLocal property tax revenue
Check it: Whether PSO's modeled bill savings assume full contracted load and firm cost recovery from data centers, and how the commission staff and consumer advocate score the claim.
The Interior Board of Land Appeals stayed the Bureau of Land Management's approval of Townsite Solar's 167 MW data center after finding the agency likely violated environmental law by relying on a 2023 review of a different, smaller solar project on the same site. Boulder City officials and environmental groups had argued the project needed a fresh environmental assessment and public comment. Construction is on hold pending briefing.
Engineering News-RecordLocal opposition and consentSiting, zoning and standardsLaws, bills and regulation
Check it: The stay is procedural and does not decide the underlying environmental review question; construction can resume if the agency wins the appeal.
Aligned Data Centers announced groundbreaking on a 2 gigawatt, three-facility data center campus at the former Bruce Mansfield coal plant in Shippingport, Pennsylvania. The developer says the project will use dedicated onsite generation rather than the local grid and estimates $10 billion in regional investment, 3,000 construction jobs and 640 permanent jobs. Local officials describe it as a redevelopment of a legacy industrial site.
GlobeNewswireHow much electricity data centers useJobsFlexible load
Check it: Confirm the source of the on-site power, whether it will use natural gas, and what permits remain outstanding.
Four families filed suit in Gwinnett County against Meta and the local Joint Development Authority, alleging that tree clearing, blasting and excavation for the more than $1 billion Stanton Springs campus disturbed the aquifer and polluted their well water with silt. Meta says its own hydrology study found groundwater flows away from the plaintiffs and that construction water came from the local utility.
Atlanta Journal-ConstitutionWater useLocal opposition and consentNoise, appearance and rural character
Check it: Read the complaint for the specific claims and check whether Meta's cited study has been made public.
Councilwoman Rohli Booker introduced two measures on September 8: a one-year moratorium on new data center construction that would exempt the existing Google site, and creation of a nine-member Community Infrastructure and Environmental Review Commission to study large developments. A rival task-force proposal was withdrawn in favor of Booker's package.
WBOILocal opposition and consentSiting, zoning and standards
Check it: Confirm whether the ordinances passed on first reading and what the council's next hearing date is.
Rep. Suhas Subramanyam of Virginia introduced a package of four federal bills, including the Responsible Data Center Siting Act, the Data Center Fair Share Act, an energy and water measurement standards bill, and a risk reduction bill covering security threats to the grid. The measurement standards bill previously advanced out of committee 34-1 in June.
HoodlineLaws, bills and regulationWho pays for the grid buildoutSecret contracts and disclosureSiting, zoning and standards
Check it: Only the measurement standards bill has cleared committee; check the current text and whether the Senate has any companion legislation.
In its September Short-Term Energy Outlook the EIA forecasts U.S. electricity generation will rise 2.2 percent to a record 4,368 billion kWh in 2026 and another 1.7 percent in 2027, driven by data center and manufacturing growth. Commercial sector sales are expected to grow 3.3 percent in 2026 and 2.7 percent in 2027, accounting for a majority of the demand increase.
U.S. Energy Information AdministrationHow much electricity data centers useEfficiency and forecasts
Check it: STEO forecasts are updated monthly and can move by more than a percentage point; commercial sales includes uses beyond data centers.
Imperial County Superior Court Judge Brooks Anderholt sided with the city of Imperial and the Sierra Club, ruling that county officials illegally shielded a nearly one million square foot data complex from California Environmental Quality Act review through a lot merger. The developer said the project would generate about $12 million in annual tax revenue and vowed to appeal. Planners will need to restart the approval process from the beginning.
KPBSLocal opposition and consentSiting, zoning and standardsWater useAir quality and on-site power
Check it: The ruling requires additional review, not permanent denial; the developer has said it will appeal.
A development of regional impact application filed with the Georgia Department of Community Affairs describes a roughly 350,000-square-foot data center on 560 acres off State Route 293, drawing 150 MW from the Municipal Electric Authority of Georgia and using about 50,000 gallons of water per day. The developer estimates 50 permanent jobs and about $2 million in annual local tax impact at buildout in 2030.
Coosa Valley NewsJobsLocal property tax revenueWater useHow much electricity data centers use
Check it: These are pre-zoning estimates from the developer; the water and power figures come from the DRI filing and are not independently verified.
The Miamisburg City Council voted 6-0 to impose a nine-month moratorium on new data center development after concerns about a possible project at the former DP&L Hutchings Power Station site. The city says the pause will allow it to draft development standards.
City of MiamisburgLocal opposition and consentSiting, zoning and standards
Check it: Verify whether the moratorium covers previously submitted applications and confirm the exact expiration date.
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