Palo council to hold public hearing on Google data center ordinance
The Palo City Council is set to hold a public hearing regarding an ordinance for a Google data center. Residents have voiced concerns about environmental impacts, particularly water regulation. While the Planning and Zoning Commission approved the ordinance, the City Council may add further restrictions during the upcoming meeting.
The Palo City Council is scheduled to hold a public hearing next week to consider the first reading of an ordinance concerning a proposed Google data center. The data center would be located near the Duane Arnold Nuclear Power Plant in Palo, Iowa.
Concerns have been raised by residents regarding potential environmental impacts, specifically related to water regulation. The current proposal from Palo defers water regulation for all future data centers to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR). However, the DNR has not yet specified the regulations the data center would need to meet, nor has it clarified its capacity to monitor such a large project.
The Palo Planning and Zoning Commission previously approved the ordinance without incorporating additional water restrictions. Palo Mayor Bryan Busch has indicated that the City Council retains the option to add further rules during the upcoming public hearing on Monday.