Simplified: The Lincoln County Commission on Tuesday night voted against a resolution to set a one-year moratorium on the construction of any new, hyperscale data centers. Instead, commissioners on a 3-2 vote opted to ask the planning and zoning department to take a closer look at the existing rules and processes in place.
Why it matters
- Commissioner Joel Arends brought the resolution after seeing the outcome of a failed referendum in Sioux Falls. That referendum would've let the public vote on whether to uphold the City Council's decision to rezone property in northeast Sioux Falls to pave the way for a new, hyperscale data center.
- However, petitioners failed to get the necessary signatures to get it on the ballot.
- Arends said the moratorium would have allowed Lincoln County to take a more proactive approach to setting policy around data centers on the front end – "not at second reading," when it's too late, he said.
- Commissioners Tiffani Landeen, Jim Schmidt and Betty Otten disagreed with Arends' approach, saying the county already has zoning regulations and limitations on where a data center could operate in the county. They also noted a desire to, as Landeen put it, "guide growth, not halt it."
"Frankly, tonight, folks, I haven't seen anybody demonstrate an emergency or a lack of regulation or an imminent threat that would justify the moratorium for me," Landeen said.
Tell me more
The commissioner vote followed about 45 minutes of public testimony, largely in favor of the moratorium.
"The moratorium allows this commission to act with facts and not fear," Arends said. "We do need to provide clarity to citizen and land owners about these kinds of projects. It’s very rare in America today where the public is so unified on a bipartisan level."
The discussion also takes place amid several data center-related bills in the state legislature this session as lawmakers look to figure out what regulations to put in place. That includes a so-called "data center bill of rights" from Sioux Falls Republican Rep. Chris Karr. South Dakota Searchlight has more on that here.
What happens next?
The Lincoln County resolution wasn't in response to any specific project or development, but commissioners did ask the planning department to study the issue. It's unclear if or when that department will be expected to share its findings.
