Climate
Privacy
Bob Dylan
Drones
Data Centers
AI Governance
2026 Maine Senate Race
Key developments
Birmingham adopts new data center ordinance
On June 10, the Birmingham City Council voted 6-3 after nearly five hours of debate and public comment to adopt a new data-center ordinance. The rules add 20 conditions for hyperscale facilities and separate standards for three smaller categories, covering size, power use, water and related impacts. The ordinance will take effect when the city's six-month moratorium ends and does not apply to Nebius' Oxmoor Valley AI factory unless the project expands.
Why it matters
Birmingham now has a concrete zoning framework for future large data center projects.
Sources & driving stories
AL.COM · Hannah Denham
Al.com coverageSt. Louis advances stricter data center rules
On June 11, St. Louis planners advanced a data-center framework from the Planning Commission to the Board of Aldermen, with Mayor Cara Spencer still needing to sign off. The draft lowers the most restrictive threshold from 75 MW to 30 MW, requires conditional-use permits citywide, expands buffers around homes, schools, transit stops and parks, and limits the largest projects to the city's most intensive industrial districts. It also requires 50% renewable energy when operations begin and would not apply to projects already in the pipeline, including a proposed 120 MW facility near The Armory.
Why it matters
If adopted, the city would impose some of the tightest siting and energy rules on new data centers in the region.
Sources & driving stories
ST. LOUIS MAGAZINE
St. Louis Magazine coverageOhio data center bill stalls in legislature
Ohio lawmakers failed to reach agreement on Substitute House Bill 646 before summer recess, leaving new data-center regulations stalled. The bill would have cut the sales-tax break for new projects from 100% to 50% while exempting existing contracts, and it also included closed-loop water requirements, water-monitoring anomaly reporting, an electric rate class and transparency rules around NDAs. House Speaker Matt Huffman said the House will return June 24, but Gov. Mike DeWine's earlier veto of exemption rollback language remains a major hurdle.
Why it matters
Ohio's current tax and utility structure for data centers remains intact for now.
Sources & driving stories
OHIO CAPITAL JOURNAL · Morgan Trau
Ohio Capital Journal coverageWorth noting
WORTH NOTING
Box Elder County adopts 180-day moratorium
The Utah county has paused all data-center-related applications while it drafts broader zoning rules.
WORTH NOTING
Spokane council seeks one-year moratorium
The proposed pause would halt new data-center building permits while the city assesses utility, water and neighborhood impacts.
WORTH NOTING
Pennsylvania launches voluntary GRID standards
The framework ties data-center incentives to community-benefit, energy and environmental commitments.
Still unclear
OPEN QUESTION
Can Ohio lawmakers revive H.B. 646 on June 24?
The stalled bill is the main remaining path to changing Ohio's data-center tax and operating rules this session.
OPEN QUESTION
Will St. Louis keep the 30 MW cap?
Final aldermanic review could still alter how tightly the city restricts the biggest new projects.