https://datacenterdebate.org/updates/What is new in the US data center debate, both sides, sourced.https://spotlightdelaware.org/2026/10/13/in-a-first-for-delaware-dover-passes-a-moratorium-on-data-center-development/https://spotlightdelaware.org/2026/10/13/in-a-first-for-delaware-dover-passes-a-moratorium-on-data-center-development/2026-10-13Dover 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.https://www.actionnews5.com/2026/10/13/first-city-now-county-debates-data-center-temporary-moratorium/https://www.actionnews5.com/2026/10/13/first-city-now-county-debates-data-center-temporary-moratorium/2026-10-13Shelby 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.https://dailyreporter.com/2026/10/12/microsoft-revises-mount-pleasant-data-center-plans/https://dailyreporter.com/2026/10/12/microsoft-revises-mount-pleasant-data-center-plans/2026-10-12Microsoft 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.https://www.baltimoresun.com/2026/10/12/frederick-county-data-center-lawsuit-election/https://www.baltimoresun.com/2026/10/12/frederick-county-data-center-lawsuit-election/2026-10-12Quantum 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.https://www.wfyi.org/statewide/2026-10-12/indiana-approves-aes-plan-to-power-google-data-center-in-monroviahttps://www.wfyi.org/statewide/2026-10-12/indiana-approves-aes-plan-to-power-google-data-center-in-monrovia2026-10-12The 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.https://www.wbtv.com/2026/10/12/charlotte-residents-urge-city-extend-data-center-construction-pause/https://www.wbtv.com/2026/10/12/charlotte-residents-urge-city-extend-data-center-construction-pause/2026-10-12At 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.https://kentuckylantern.com/2026/10/12/demands-bans-and-moratoriums-catch-up-on-kentucky-data-center-news/https://kentuckylantern.com/2026/10/12/demands-bans-and-moratoriums-catch-up-on-kentucky-data-center-news/2026-10-12The 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.https://www.forbes.com/sites/daraabasiita/2026/10/12/pjm-market-monitor-says-42-of-forecast-data-center-growth-is-delayed-or-canceled/https://www.forbes.com/sites/daraabasiita/2026/10/12/pjm-market-monitor-says-42-of-forecast-data-center-growth-is-delayed-or-canceled/2026-10-12Forbes 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.https://www.commercialsearch.com/news/1-gw-data-center-project-advances-near-austin/https://www.commercialsearch.com/news/1-gw-data-center-project-advances-near-austin/2026-10-11Taylor, 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.https://socialmediatoday.com/news/meta-publishes-post-to-counter-data-center-concerns/832679https://socialmediatoday.com/news/meta-publishes-post-to-counter-data-center-concerns/8326792026-10-11Meta 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.https://www.21alivenews.com/2026/10/11/demand-data-center-labor-is-up-can-indianas-workforce-growth-match-pace/https://www.21alivenews.com/2026/10/11/demand-data-center-labor-is-up-can-indianas-workforce-growth-match-pace/2026-10-11The 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.https://fortune.com/2026/10/11/rural-pennsylvania-northpoint-development-amazon-data-center-backlash-bipartisan-opposition/https://fortune.com/2026/10/11/rural-pennsylvania-northpoint-development-amazon-data-center-backlash-bipartisan-opposition/2026-10-11NorthPoint 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.https://www.utilitydive.com/news/ferc-pjm-large-load-interconnection-iras-byonc/832716/https://www.utilitydive.com/news/ferc-pjm-large-load-interconnection-iras-byonc/832716/2026-10-10FERC 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.https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-10-10/how-data-centers-are-driving-up-us-electricity-priceshttps://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-10-10/how-data-centers-are-driving-up-us-electricity-prices2026-10-10Bloomberg 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.https://wjla.com/news/local/data-center-lawsuit-alleges-frederick-county-executive-put-politics-ahead-of-developmenthttps://wjla.com/news/local/data-center-lawsuit-alleges-frederick-county-executive-put-politics-ahead-of-development2026-10-10Quantum 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.https://kansasreflector.com/2026/10/09/debate-about-kansas-law-incentivizing-data-center-construction-charges-up-governors-race/https://kansasreflector.com/2026/10/09/debate-about-kansas-law-incentivizing-data-center-construction-charges-up-governors-race/2026-10-09The 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.https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/ai-data-center-companies-reveal-to-warren-blumenthal-van-hollen-they-are-not-paying-their-full-costs-will-continue-using-ndas-and-seeking-tax-breaks/https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/ai-data-center-companies-reveal-to-warren-blumenthal-van-hollen-they-are-not-paying-their-full-costs-will-continue-using-ndas-and-seeking-tax-breaks/2026-10-09Senators 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.https://kvia.com/news/local-news/2026/10/09/hudspeth-county-confirms-15-billion-proposed-data-center/https://kvia.com/news/local-news/2026/10/09/hudspeth-county-confirms-15-billion-proposed-data-center/2026-10-09County 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.https://www.cnbc.com/2026/10/09/ai-data-centers-investing.htmlhttps://www.cnbc.com/2026/10/09/ai-data-centers-investing.html2026-10-09Blackstone'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.https://www.cnbc.com/2026/10/09/nvidia-ai-firmus-ipo-.htmlhttps://www.cnbc.com/2026/10/09/nvidia-ai-firmus-ipo-.html2026-10-09Australian 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.https://www.kentuckynewera.com/news/local/article_ab6f7c74-0345-5a49-bf5f-65e5bc103dd8.htmlhttps://www.kentuckynewera.com/news/local/article_ab6f7c74-0345-5a49-bf5f-65e5bc103dd8.html2026-10-09The 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.https://www.wfyi.org/wfyi-news/2026-10-09/indianapolis-group-will-examine-data-centers-propose-regulationshttps://www.wfyi.org/wfyi-news/2026-10-09/indianapolis-group-will-examine-data-centers-propose-regulations2026-10-09The 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.https://www.kuer.org/business-economy/2026-10-09/box-elder-iron-county-data-center-moratoriums-new-regulationshttps://www.kuer.org/business-economy/2026-10-09/box-elder-iron-county-data-center-moratoriums-new-regulations2026-10-09With 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.https://azcapitoltimes.com/news/2026/10/09/data-center-costs-divide-corporation-commission-candidates/https://azcapitoltimes.com/news/2026/10/09/data-center-costs-divide-corporation-commission-candidates/2026-10-09Candidates 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.https://www.illinoistimes.com/news/data-center-lawsuit-could-be-tossed-out/https://www.illinoistimes.com/news/data-center-lawsuit-could-be-tossed-out/2026-10-09A 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.https://www.cnbc.com/2026/10/09/kalshi-traders-see-high-odds-of-5000-plus-data-centers-by-2027.htmlhttps://www.cnbc.com/2026/10/09/kalshi-traders-see-high-odds-of-5000-plus-data-centers-by-2027.html2026-10-09Traders 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.https://www.kut.org/energy-environment/2026-10-09/taylor-tx-annex-data-center-power-planthttps://www.kut.org/energy-environment/2026-10-09/taylor-tx-annex-data-center-power-plant2026-10-09Taylor'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.https://wisconsinexaminer.com/2026/10/09/months-after-session-weeks-before-election-republicans-propose-repeal-of-data-center-tax-break/https://wisconsinexaminer.com/2026/10/09/months-after-session-weeks-before-election-republicans-propose-repeal-of-data-center-tax-break/2026-10-09A 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.https://www.utilitydive.com/news/doe-pjm-ferc-ratepayer-protection-large-load-data-center/832479/https://www.utilitydive.com/news/doe-pjm-ferc-ratepayer-protection-large-load-data-center/832479/2026-10-08The 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.https://bizwest.com/2026/10/08/landowner-alleges-weld-commissioners-bent-rules-for-data-center/https://bizwest.com/2026/10/08/landowner-alleges-weld-commissioners-bent-rules-for-data-center/2026-10-08Broe 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.https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/10/08/mind-boggling-fremont-county-coming-to-grips-with-66b-data-center-project/https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/10/08/mind-boggling-fremont-county-coming-to-grips-with-66b-data-center-project/2026-10-08Aethel 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.https://www.loudounnow.com/news/effort-to-audit-loudoun-data-centers-dies-during-board-meeting/article_fe6f4e2d-7e33-4aaf-9a16-36cd0e594f54.htmlhttps://www.loudounnow.com/news/effort-to-audit-loudoun-data-centers-dies-during-board-meeting/article_fe6f4e2d-7e33-4aaf-9a16-36cd0e594f54.html2026-10-08A 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.https://www.foxcarolina.com/2026/10/08/judge-dismisses-valara-zoning-lawsuit-selc-presses-formaldehyde-dispute/https://www.foxcarolina.com/2026/10/08/judge-dismisses-valara-zoning-lawsuit-selc-presses-formaldehyde-dispute/2026-10-08A 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.https://www.azag.gov/press-release/attorney-general-mayes-urges-arizona-corporation-commission-investigate-whether-apshttps://www.azag.gov/press-release/attorney-general-mayes-urges-arizona-corporation-commission-investigate-whether-aps2026-10-08Attorney 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.https://www.ajc.com/business/2026/10/georgianomics-data-center-upside/https://www.ajc.com/business/2026/10/georgianomics-data-center-upside/2026-10-08The 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.https://www.axios.com/2026/10/08/data-centers-power-regimehttps://www.axios.com/2026/10/08/data-centers-power-regime2026-10-08Senators 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.https://www.potomaclocal.com/2026/10/08/stafford-supervisors-approve-accokeek-center-data-campus/https://www.potomaclocal.com/2026/10/08/stafford-supervisors-approve-accokeek-center-data-campus/2026-10-08After 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.https://www.kpbs.org/news/environment/2026/10/08/two-imperial-county-supervisors-press-for-special-election-on-data-centershttps://www.kpbs.org/news/environment/2026/10/08/two-imperial-county-supervisors-press-for-special-election-on-data-centers2026-10-08At 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.https://www.timesleader.com/top-stories/1761965/luzerne-county-data-center-zoning-ordinance-heads-to-council-what-changed-in-setbacks-noise-limitshttps://www.timesleader.com/top-stories/1761965/luzerne-county-data-center-zoning-ordinance-heads-to-council-what-changed-in-setbacks-noise-limits2026-10-08The 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.https://youroregonnews.com/2026/10/08/hillsboro-moves-data-center-restrictions-closer-to-adoption/https://youroregonnews.com/2026/10/08/hillsboro-moves-data-center-restrictions-closer-to-adoption/2026-10-08Hillsboro'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.https://kymnradio.net/2026/10/08/northfield-council-approves-data-center-setback-changes-amid-public-concerns/https://kymnradio.net/2026/10/08/northfield-council-approves-data-center-setback-changes-amid-public-concerns/2026-10-08Northfield'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.https://www.msstate.edu/newsroom/article/2026/10/mississippi-state-among-southeast-regional-ai-computing-consortiumhttps://www.msstate.edu/newsroom/article/2026/10/mississippi-state-among-southeast-regional-ai-computing-consortium2026-10-08At 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.https://foxbaltimore.com/news/local/umbc-poll-widespread-opposition-new-data-centers-maryland-water-quality-life-wes-moorehttps://foxbaltimore.com/news/local/umbc-poll-widespread-opposition-new-data-centers-maryland-water-quality-life-wes-moore2026-10-08A 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.https://thisisreno.com/2026/10/nv-energy-tract-unseal-records/https://thisisreno.com/2026/10/nv-energy-tract-unseal-records/2026-10-07This 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.https://oaklandside.org/2026/10/07/oakland-data-center-moratorium-approved/https://oaklandside.org/2026/10/07/oakland-data-center-moratorium-approved/2026-10-07Oakland'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.https://www.cbs17.com/news/local-news/wake-county-news/raleigh-city-council-approves-6-month-moratorium-on-large-data-centers/https://www.cbs17.com/news/local-news/wake-county-news/raleigh-city-council-approves-6-month-moratorium-on-large-data-centers/2026-10-07Raleigh'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.https://www.wunc.org/2026-10-07/duke-energy-comes-to-an-agreement-on-long-sought-large-load-tariff-for-data-centers-in-north-carolinahttps://www.wunc.org/2026-10-07/duke-energy-comes-to-an-agreement-on-long-sought-large-load-tariff-for-data-centers-in-north-carolina2026-10-07Duke 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.https://www.federalreserve.gov/monetarypolicy/fomcminutes20260916.htmhttps://www.federalreserve.gov/monetarypolicy/fomcminutes20260916.htm2026-10-07Minutes 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.https://www.salisburypost.com/2026/10/07/salisbury-approves-henderson-grove-data-center-rezoning/https://www.salisburypost.com/2026/10/07/salisbury-approves-henderson-grove-data-center-rezoning/2026-10-07Salisbury 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.https://theaugustapress.com/augusta-approves-data-center-ordinance-after-disputed-second-reading/https://theaugustapress.com/augusta-approves-data-center-ordinance-after-disputed-second-reading/2026-10-07Augusta 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.