‘Not enough support’ for data center moratorium
Greensboro City Council voted down a proposed six-month moratorium on new data centers, with the motion failing 5-4. Council members supporting the moratorium cited concerns over high electricity and water usage, environmental impacts, and the disproportionate effect on historically industrial districts. Opponents argued data centers are critical infrastructure and existing policies provide sufficient oversight.
A proposal for a six-month moratorium on approving new AI data centers in Greensboro, North Carolina, was rejected by the City Council with a 5-4 vote. District 1 and 2 Representatives Crystal Black and Cecile Crawford, along with Irving Allen and April Parker, advocated for the moratorium, citing concerns about the significant electricity and water demands of large-scale AI data centers. They highlighted potential negative impacts such as droughts, strain on the power grid, increased utility rates, noise and light pollution, and the concentration of these impacts in already vulnerable, industrially zoned areas like Districts 1, 2, and 5.
Mayor Pro Tem Denise Roth, who has ties to the AI industry, opposed the moratorium, arguing that data centers benefit underserved communities and existing policies allow the city manager to notify the council of proposals, providing time for consideration. Other council members, including Mayor Marikay Abuzuaiter, Adam Marshall, Tammi Thurm, and Hugh Holston, also voted against the measure. Thurm stated that data centers are critical infrastructure but agreed any development should meet sound standards addressing infrastructure capacity, environmental impacts, and quality of life.
The debate also touched upon the state level, with the North Carolina General Assembly considering Senate Bill 1047, the Regulatory Reform Act of 2026, which could limit local governments' ability to regulate development, including data centers. Council member Black noted a previously approved data center, the "Dream Center" at N.C. A&T's Gateway Research Park South Campus, as an example of past due diligence failures impacting vulnerable areas.