As area residents continue to voice concerns about the development of large-scale data centers, the Linn County Board of Supervisors is set to consider a temporary moratorium on new data center applications in the county’s unincorporated areas.
The temporary moratorium, as proposed, would remain in effect through Jan. 1, 2028, but “may be extended by further action of the Board.”
If approved by the board at its regular meeting Wednesday morning, the resolution could impact data center proposals near the Duane Arnold Energy Center near Palo and near the proposed Morgan Valley Energy Center northwest of Fairfax.
Neither project has submitted a formal rezoning application to the county for consideration, but officials have said they’ve been approached by data center developers about possible developments in both areas.
The county’s temporary moratorium, if approved, would not apply to the QTS and Google data center projects already under construction in southwest Cedar Rapids, nor would it apply to any project within the city limits of any city in the county.
The proposed moratorium notes that Linn County adopted new zoning regulations governing large-scale data center developments in February, but that “since adoption of those regulations, additional information has become available regarding the potential cumulative impacts of Large-Scale Data Center development on public infrastructure, water resources, electrical infrastructure, emergency response capabilities, transportation systems, and long-range land use planning.”
It indicates that large-scale data centers comprise “regional-scale infrastructure projects” with impacts on electrical generation, water resources, economic development and other areas of concern.
“Meaningful evaluation of these issues requires coordination among affected municipalities, utility providers, regional planning organizations, state agencies, emergency management agencies, and other public and private stakeholders before additional Large-Scale Data Center applications are accepted for review,” the resolution says.
However, it would also provide some exceptions, noting that “the Board recognizes that certain Large-Scale Data Centers may appropriately be co-located with existing or future nuclear energy generating facilities and existing or future utility-scale solar facilities where the facilities share a point of interconnection and further recognizes the importance of co-locating energy-intensive industries with zero-carbon generating facilities. The Board further finds that nothing in this Resolution is intended to prevent such Large-Scale Data Centers from consideration.”
The board will consider the temporary moratorium at its regular meeting, which begins at 10 a.m. Wednesday in the board room of the Jean Oxley Public Service Center in Cedar Rapids. The meeting is open to the public, and a livestream is available.
Moratoriums on large-scale data centers have been approved, or considered, across the state. Sioux County and Woodbury County each approved a one-year moratorium June 23. The city of Peosta passed a six-month moratorium June 23 to allow time for the development of data center regulations, and Dubuque County approved a one-year moratorium May 23.
