Overview
- Seattle City Council voted unanimously Tuesday for a one-year emergency moratorium on new large data centers while the city studies their effects on the power grid, water supplies, utility rates, and local economy.
- Edmond, Oklahoma, unanimously approved a six-month moratorium on data center applications on Monday to define types, document impacts, and create zoning and permitting rules before any projects are allowed.
- Birmingham’s City Council passed a zoning ordinance Tuesday that imposes 20 conditions on hyperscale data centers, including minimum setbacks, site-size rules, water-saving cooling requirements, and limits on certain on-site power generation.
- Local activists, residents, and current and former tech workers have driven much of the public pressure by testifying about noise, higher utility bills, water use, and housing and job effects, while developers and utilities warn pauses could cut investment.
- Legal and procedural questions remain over projects already in permitting pipelines because some applications may proceed despite moratoria, which could prompt permitting decisions or court challenges and shape how durable these local rules become.