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Counties Pause Data Center Projects
Coverage from Montgomery Community Media, KETV, and others
Articles
45
Active Days
78
The Topic
Counties in Maryland, Nebraska, and New Mexico are considering or adopting moratoriums and new rules for data center projects before approving additional development. Officials and residents are focusing on water consumption, electricity demand, grid reliability, land use, environmental impacts, and whether promised jobs and tax revenue justify local costs. The actions could delay proposed campuses while counties develop siting standards, impact studies, and community-benefit requirements.
First Article: 05/11/26
Latest Article: 07/27/26
Summary
- Santa Fe County adopted an 18-month moratorium and expanded review to projects using one megawatt or more.
- Cass County, Nebraska, is considering both an 18-month permitting pause and zoning rules after opposition to a proposed Tenaska-linked project.
- Montgomery County, Maryland, is weighing whether to extend a six-month construction moratorium for up to two years.
- Water use, electricity demand, grid reliability, utility costs, and land-use impacts are recurring issues across the local debates.
- Supporters of development point to construction jobs, tax revenue, and potential community growth, but project specifications and long-term staffing benefits remain disputed.
- Several counties are using pauses to commission studies, gather public input, and establish permanent standards before approving projects.
History
The biggest update is that Santa Fe County has now moved from consideration to enacted action, adopting an 18-month moratorium and lowering the review threshold for data centers. Elsewhere, Cass County’s debate has sharpened into a proposed permitting pause plus zoning rules, while Montgomery County is still weighing an extension.
The story has broadened from a general pattern of county moratoriums in a few Midwest states to a more concrete set of local actions in Maryland, New Mexico, and Nebraska, with some measures now formally enacted or actively under review. The emphasis has also shifted toward specific project-level scrutiny, especially around the Cass County Tenaska-Google proposal and its land, water, and utility implications.
Featured
07-21-2026
Maryland county officials considered extending a six-month data center construction moratorium at a County Council Economic Development Committee meeting in late June.
07-13-2026
Cass County, Nebraska, advocates requested an 18-month planning hold on a Tenaska and Google data center and natural gas power plant proposal after limited specifications and concerns about water and environmental impacts.
07-13-2026
Cass County, Nebraska residents and farmers urged a permitting pause for a proposed Tenaska-linked data center after Tenaska optioned 1,300+ acres along Highway 75.
Timeline: 78 Days
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Additional Articles
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Santa Fe County commissioners adopted an immediate 18-month moratorium on data center permits on Tuesday while staff develop water, energy, and noise regulations.
Sierra County commissioners approved an 18-month moratorium on data centers in Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, after resident concerns about water and environmental impacts.
Santa Fe County commissioners voted on July 2, 2026 to impose an 18-month data center development moratorium, cutting the review threshold to one megawatt and tightening environmental protections.
St. Charles County Council approved a six-month data center moratorium on new projects in Missouri after residents raised concerns during public hearings.
Oshkosh Common Council to vote July 14 on a temporary moratorium for new hyperscale AI data centers after a zoning text amendment proposal from Alec Lefeber.
Loveland City Council planned a Sept. 1, 2026 data center study session as council members consider a potential temporary moratorium and align development review and utility large-load approvals.
Pulaski County Quorum Court advances Ordinance 26-I-52 on July 28 after debate over competing moratorium exemptions for hyperscale data center projects.
Gage County Planning and Zoning Commission approved an 18-month data center moratorium in Beatrice, Nebraska, pending new permitting and construction regulations.
Seward County, Nebraska commissioners approved a one-year moratorium on data center construction Tuesday to allow zoning and water review planning under Nebraska LB663 permitting timelines.
Cass County Planning Commission recommended a data center moratorium in Nebraska on Monday, proposing industrial zoning, closed-loop water cooling, and megawatt build-out plans for hyperscale permits.
Logan County, Nebraska approved a 12-month moratorium on data center construction Wednesday to revise zoning and comprehensive planning amid water and electric supply concerns.
Larimer County, Colorado considered extending a data-center moratorium through Feb. 27 during a June 29 work session after survey results and community concerns about water and costs.
Lawrence city commissioners approved a two-year moratorium on large-scale data centers on July 14, 2026, and started land development code text amendments.
Cache County, Utah implemented a 180-day moratorium on new data center applications effective immediately after a June 23 council vote.
St. Charles County approved a six-month ban on large-scale data center development on Monday night, restricting projects above 100000 square feet or 5 megawatts.
Worcester County Commissioners voted in Maryland to impose a one-year moratorium on data centers and cable landing facilities while zoning rules are updated for Globalinx and other projects.
Santa Fe County commissioners adopted an 18-month data center development moratorium on Tuesday, lowering the threshold to one megawatt while assessing water, land, and grid impacts.
Seward County commissioners in Nebraska approved a 12-month data center moratorium on construction and permits while new planning regulations are developed.
Linn County, Iowa supervisors approved a July 1 2-1 vote for an 18-month data center moratorium while expanding water-use and planning review requirements.
Loveland, Colorado held public information efforts in July 2026 and scheduled a September 1, 2026 council work session to review data center zoning and impact planning.
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Cass County, Nebraska planning commissioners recommended a data center zoning ordinance and moratorium after resident opposition at a public meeting at Cass County Fairgrounds.
Santa Fe County commissioners approved an 18-month moratorium on data center developments in New Mexico to prepare water and grid impact guardrails.
Lake County Board voted to pursue a temporary data center moratorium in unincorporated Lake County, Illinois, pending ordinance hearings on definitions and an eight-month limit.
Oshkosh, Wisconsin officials plan drafting for a potential data center moratorium after resident water and land-use concerns, aligning with a Winnebago County 12-month pause.
St. Charles County Council considers a six-month moratorium on large-scale data centers by vote potentially scheduled for July 13 after a countywide public hearing and impact study.
Lawrence city commissioners will vote July 14 on a one-year moratorium blocking new data center permits, with exceptions for property-specific requests.
Grand County commissioners in Utah placed a data center construction moratorium through June 2027 while preparing 1041 regulation amendment requests for solar, wind, and data centers.
La Crosse County, Wisconsin approved an 18-month data center moratorium in 2026 to pause decisions while a one-year study committee evaluates local impacts.
Pinson City Council proposed a 12-month data center moratorium on first reading Thursday at City Hall, with further details scheduled for an August meeting.
Santa Fe County commissioners proposed a one-year moratorium on large data center projects to address water and energy use concerns, scheduled for commission consideration in Santa Fe.
Sierra County, New Mexico imposed an 18-month moratorium on new data center development on Tuesday after a unanimous county commission vote amid concerns tied to Project Jupiter in Doña Ana County.
Greenwood County, South Carolina, approved a one-year moratorium and stricter zoning limits for data center projects on a 4-3 vote, restricting sites in industrial districts.
Seward County commissioners planned a June 30 vote on a data-center moratorium after citing power and water constraints and the need for new performance standards.
Sierra Club Toiyabe Chapter urged a moratorium on new data-center approvals as Clark County Commission discussed application process and approval criteria in unincorporated Clark County on Tuesday in Las Vegas.
Topeka City Manager Robert Perez said a July 28 meeting will follow Compass Datacenters' July 24 Conditional Use Permit filing for a Wakarusa-area data center.
Linn County Iowa supervisors voted two to one on a data center moratorium on Wednesday after public comment and amendments, with differing views on water and power transparency.
Leon County commissioners approved an 18-month moratorium on large-scale data centers on Tuesday to assess impacts before long-term siting decisions.
Jackson County lawmakers in Missouri will vote Monday at the Jackson County Courthouse on a 180-day moratorium banning new data centers and battery energy storage construction.
Carroll County, Arkansas approved an emergency ordinance on Tuesday to impose a 12-month moratorium on data-center-like facility construction while new local permitting rules are drafted.
Walker County commissioners proposed a 30-day moratorium on new data center applications in Georgia while reviewing zoning regulations and infrastructure impacts.
Loveland, Colorado plans a Sept. 1, 2026 public council work session on data center impacts while preparing development review and power large-load approval steps.
Coffey County Commission in Kansas approved a one-year data-center moratorium in response to growing concerns over utilities and resource impacts.