North Carolina town approves data center development moratorium
-
Archived from the IMDb Discussion Forums — AI
sheetsadam1 — 1 week ago(March 24, 2026 01:16 PM)
We need to see much more of this nationwide!
https://www.bpr.org/2026-03-23/boone-approves-data-center-development-moratorium
The Boone Town Council unanimously approved a one-year moratorium on data center development Monday night.
The move was cheered by a capacity crowd of residents at the town hall. That was gratifying for Mayor Dalton George, who brought the issue to the council.
“That's the whole point of local government, is trying not to get into this kind of contentious nature of so many issues, to just represent what most of your folks feel," he says. "And that's what we saw tonight.”
The ordinance bans the development of cryptocurrency mining or data centers within town limits for one year. Several North Carolina municipalities have taken similar steps amid the industry’s growth.
George says the pause gives officials time to study possible environmental and economic impacts before developers come knocking.
“So really just trying to get ahead of it, recognizing the challenges that data centers pose for communities like ours, and wanting to make sure that we're protecting our community ahead of time," he says.
Watauga County could soon follow suit. Commissioners agreed Monday to hold a public hearing on a potential county-wide moratorium on April 21.
Draft Barron Trump