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Key developments
Local governments advance new data center controls
Several local governments moved this week to tighten or pause data center development rules. In Ohio, the Lucas County Plan Commission sent Waterville Township’s 67-page zoning amendment back with no recommendation after enforceability concerns, with township review set for July 20 and possible trustee action July 22. Westerly, Rhode Island, is considering time-limited moratorium language, while Lexington planning officials proposed banning data centers larger than 50,000 square feet and requiring 1,000-foot buffers from homes, farms, schools and daycares.
Why it matters
Local permitting risk is becoming a material constraint for hyperscale site selection, especially where power, water, noise and land-use concerns are politically salient.
Sources & driving stories
TOLEDO FREE PRESS · Karen Gerhardinger
Toledo Free Press coverageWESTERLY SUN · Ryan Blessing
Westerly Sun coverageTRISTATEHOMEPAGE
Tristatehomepage coverageTexas poll shows majority local opposition
KXAN reported that a Texas Politics Project poll at the University of Texas found 56% of Texans oppose data center construction in their communities, with opposition higher in rural and suburban areas. At a Texas House Natural Resources Committee hearing, county officials and residents pressed concerns over water supply and grid strain, while some local leaders asked for more authority to block or regulate projects. Gov. Greg Abbott said data centers must bring their own power, reuse their own water and reduce electricity costs for residential and small-business customers.
Why it matters
Texas remains a major growth market for AI infrastructure, but the polling and hearing suggest state-level political conditions may harden around power and water self-sufficiency.
Sources & driving stories
KXAN
KXAN coverageWorth noting
WORTH NOTING
Vertiv broadens liquid-cooling platform
Yahoo Finance’s Bailey Pemberton reported Vertiv added thermal-management capacity through ThermoKey and Strategic Thermal Labs acquisitions and introduced PurgeRite NearZero to reduce water waste for hyperscale developers.
WORTH NOTING
IREN reports Microsoft, Nvidia AI deals
Yahoo Finance’s Bailey Pemberton reported IREN secured long-term AI infrastructure contracts with Microsoft and Nvidia, including a reported US$3.4 billion five-year AI cloud deal tied to Blackwell GPUs.
WORTH NOTING
XDI flags planned-site climate risk
Chronicle Online reported XDI estimates about 6% of nearly 3,000 planned data centers face high immediate risk from extreme-weather hazards and may need hardening to remain insurable.
Still unclear
OPEN QUESTION
Will local moratoria withstand legal pressure?
Waterville’s enforceability concerns and Westerly’s takings-liability discussion show municipalities are still testing how far they can go before specific applications are filed.
OPEN QUESTION
Can Texas make self-sufficient data centers enforceable?
Abbott’s power-and-water conditions could materially change project economics if converted into permitting rules or utility interconnection requirements.