Moratoriums & Bans

AL.com · Jefferson Co., AL

Lakeland city commissioners voted 4-3 Monday to approve a one-year moratorium on data center development, following opposition to a planned 600,000-square-foot facility near Old Tampa Highway that would consume up to 100 megawatts of power. Critics cite concerns about energy demands, water consumption, and noise, while supporters view data centers as economically beneficial.

Spectrum Bay News 9 · Polk Co., FL

Lakeland's City Commission voted 4-3 to impose a one-year moratorium on development of large-scale data centers requiring 50 megawatts or more of power, with supporters citing the need to study impacts and establish safeguards while opponents argued the language was too broad.

Tampa Bay 28 · Polk Co., FL

Headline onlyLakeland Ledger · Florida

Edgewater city commissioners will decide Monday whether to place a permanent data center ban on the November ballot for voter approval. The proposal would prohibit data center construction, expansion, and operation within city limits, unlike a temporary moratorium.

WKMG · Volusia Co., FL · also at WKMG

Paulding County, Georgia officials voted Tuesday to halt new data center projects until January 1, 2027, while the county revises development standards following months of resident opposition over neighborhood-scale facilities and concerns about electricity costs, noise, and environmental impacts.

The Cool Down · Paulding Co., GA

Warner Robins is using a six-month moratorium on data center applications to study potential impacts on water, utilities, zoning and property values. The city will solicit community input at upcoming council meetings before determining whether data centers fit the community's character.

41NBC News · Houston Co., GA

DeSoto County, Florida, commissioners unanimously approved a one-year moratorium on new data center applications, but the rules exempt a controversial project by DCIP Group that secured earlier rezoning approval for an initial 34 acres and requested rezoning for more than 800 additional acres as part of a roughly 1,300-acre long-term vision.

Yahoo · Florida

Albany, Georgia commissioners voted unanimously July 28 to impose a 12-month moratorium on new data center development while the city develops regulations and hires an outside consultant to examine best practices for the projects.

The Cool Down · Georgia

The Trump administration announced a $100 billion privately funded artificial intelligence data center campus at Kentucky's former Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant, a Cold War-era uranium enrichment facility. The project is expected to create approximately 8,000 construction jobs and 600 permanent jobs, with Brookfield Asset Management developing the campus and NextEra Energy building power infrastructure.

WBMA · Tennessee · also at mynbc15.com

Prichard City Council's vote on a 480-day moratorium for data center projects was derailed Thursday when an unnamed entity submitted a data center application, requiring the council to hold a public hearing before the moratorium can proceed. A public hearing was scheduled for August 13.

Lagniappe Daily · Mobile Co., AL · also at lagniappemobile.com

Manatee County commissioners voted unanimously to move forward with a moratorium on data centers, citing concerns about energy and water use. The county will conduct research and hold public hearings to finalize the temporary ban, which officials said should last at least one year.

Miami Herald · Miami-Dade Co., FL

Four journalists covering Florida's data center expansion will discuss the issue at a free public forum Aug. 11 in Venice, hosted by Suncoast Searchlight and Seeking Rents. The panel will address the industry's rapid growth across the state and local communities' concerns about environmental impacts and electricity demand.

sarasotamagazine.com · Florida

Headline onlyLocal 3 News · Walker Co. (GA), GA

The Paulding County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved a temporary moratorium on data centers during a July 28 meeting, effective until January 1, 2027, to allow time for updating development codes. The decision followed weeks of community opposition to four technology park overlay districts that residents said were established through code amendments rather than standard rezoning procedures.

FOX 5 Atlanta · Paulding Co., GA

Mississippi residents and Memphis-area community members attended an NAACP town hall to demand xAI shut down turbines operating without permits near its data center. The gathering heard concerns about air quality impacts, with organizers noting three lawsuits filed over pollution and unpermitted turbines, and citing xAI's 41 permitted versus 60 unpermitted turbines.

The Cool Down · DeSoto Co., MS

The City of Prichard is considering a temporary moratorium on data centers after an application was submitted for a proposed $93 million facility, with council members debating the project's potential $4.5 million to $5 million annual revenue against concerns about infrastructure impacts and its proximity to the historic Africatown community.

AL.com · Mobile Co., AL

Congressional investigators report that a Marxist organization tied to Chinese funding organized opposition in Alabama to a $93 million data center project in Prichard, according to a Bitcoin Policy Institute report now held by the FBI. The campaign, allegedly orchestrated by a network connected to a Shanghai-based American businessman, has stalled an estimated $23.6 billion in data center investments across at least 14 states through local moratoria and blocked projects.

Yellowhammer News · Mobile Co., AL

Democratic nominee Doug Jones told a Huntsville town hall crowd Wednesday that he would help the city address infrastructure needs tied to its economic growth and that he would leverage federal housing assistance funding to help address high housing costs. Jones also reiterated support for Medicaid expansion, an education lottery and a moratorium on data centers in response to resident questions.

AL.com · Madison Co., AL

Prichard city leaders discussed options for addressing a proposed AI data center during a Wednesday community forum, including a temporary moratorium that could expose the city to legal challenges or creating restrictive ordinances governing the project's operation and location relative to residential areas.

mynbc15.com · Mobile Co., AL

Headline onlyToccoa Record · Stephens Co., GA

DeKalb County extended its data center moratorium through March 2027 to allow time for developing regulations, though Commissioner Ted Terry dissented, favoring an independent environmental study over one led by the CEO's office. The county currently has only two legacy data centers and commissioners have debated provisions including how facilities would be powered and how environmental reviews should be conducted.

WABE

District 5 Councilman Roy Smith, II is hosting a public forum Wednesday to provide residents information about a proposed AI data center development from Edged Energy. The property is zoned for industrial use, and the city's attorney stated that a moratorium alone cannot stop the project due to existing zoning regulations.

mynbc15.com · Mobile Co., AL

Headline onlyWSMV · Sumner Co., TN

Headline onlyWAFF · also at WSFA

Opelika Observer · Alabama

Yellowhammer News · Montgomery Co., AL

About 50 Mt. Vernon residents gathered Monday with local officials seeking written guarantees from Beacon Data Centers regarding a $6 billion data center project planned for north Mobile County, including commitments on noise levels and succession planning. The Mobile County Commission said it lacks authority to rezone the property or halt the development.

AL.com · Mobile Co., AL

Nearly 1,000 Effingham County residents attended a meeting where OpenAI and county officials presented a planned $20 billion data center project that critics say was finalized without public input. Residents raised concerns about environmental impacts, power consumption, and the secrecy of the decision-making process.

Yahoo · Georgia

The Rome News-Tribune · Georgia

Democrat Doug Jones announced a 2026 gubernatorial campaign platform featuring Medicaid expansion, a one-year moratorium on data center development, government reforms including a citizen-led ballot initiative process, and economic measures such as eliminating the grocery tax and raising the minimum wage.

Tuscaloosa Thread · Jefferson Co., AL

Democratic gubernatorial nominee Doug Jones on Monday outlined an agenda featuring Medicaid expansion, citizen-led ballot initiatives, and a one-year moratorium on new AI data centers while establishing protections for taxpayers and communities.

Alabama Political Reporter · Alabama

Former U.S. Sen. Doug Jones, campaigning for Alabama governor, criticized Republican opponent Tommy Tuberville's support for data centers, proposing a one-year moratorium on development while the state establishes environmental and utility rules. Jones also outlined policy positions including IVF protection, lottery approval, grocery tax elimination and increased education funding.

AL.com · Jefferson Co., AL

Georgia's 150-plus data centers are driving up electricity demand and requiring expensive grid upgrades, becoming a central issue in the state's open governor's race. Democratic nominee Keisha Lance Bottoms is calling for a construction moratorium, while Republican Gov. Brian Kemp and his opponent Rick Jackson support allowing data center development.

Politico · Georgia

An industry organization representing data centers has launched a public relations campaign in Georgia, including a website and YouTube channel, while the state Chamber of Commerce established an alliance to support data center expansion. The efforts come as lawmakers debate regulations and community opposition to data center projects intensifies across the state.

thecurrentga.org · Georgia

Stillwater Development has filed to build a gigawatt-scale data center campus called Stillwater Technology Park in Lovejoy, Georgia, south of Atlanta. The project could include up to 15 buildings totaling 3.465 million square feet across 400 acres, with completion of the first phase potentially by 2031.

Data Center Dynamics · Fulton Co., GA

Senator Reverend Warnock is urging the EPA to issue guidance protecting Georgia communities' water supplies as data center expansion accelerates. Georgia hosts 230 data center facilities, and OpenAI's planned $20 billion facility in Effingham County would require significant power and water resources.

TheCitizen.com · Chatham Co., GA

A pro-data center industry group established a Georgia presence in June, launching a website and YouTube channel featuring promotional content as public opposition to data center construction grows statewide. The effort comes amid failed legislative attempts to regulate or restrict the facilities and high-profile protests against projects including a proposed $20 billion OpenAI facility in Effingham County.

Georgia Recorder · Georgia · also at WaltonTribune.com, Griffin Daily News

An Alabama congresswoman has joined legislation calling for a pause on new AI data center projects until federal protections are established. U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell cited concerns about local water consumption, electricity demands, environmental effects, and whether communities would benefit from these facilities.

The Cool Down · Alabama · also at Yahoo

Cherokee County commissioners unanimously approved a 30-day pause on new data center development and scheduled an August 18 hearing to consider a longer extension, potentially keeping the moratorium in place until mid-February 2027, as the county lacks specific ordinances to regulate such facilities.

Yahoo · Fulton Co., GA