Commission votes down bans on BESS and data centers
The Reno County Commission in Kansas voted down proposals that would have banned battery energy storage systems and large data centers in the county's zoned, unincorporated areas. Concerns were raised about environmental risks, public safety, long-term liability, water and electricity consumption, and infrastructure demands. Existing planning and zoning procedures will remain in place for any future applications.
Reno County commissioners recently rejected proposals to ban both battery energy storage systems (BESS) and large data centers within the county's zoned, unincorporated areas. The special meeting was held to discuss potential regulations for these emerging technologies, following previous attempts to prohibit their development.
Commissioners Don Bogner and Randy Parks expressed significant concerns regarding BESS facilities, citing potential risks to groundwater, public safety, and long-term liability for cleanup costs if projects were abandoned. Bogner made a motion to ban BESS in zoned, unincorporated areas, seconded by Parks, but the proposal failed on a 3-2 vote with Commissioners Ron Vincent, Richard Winger, and Ron Hirst voting against it.
The discussion then shifted to large "hyperscale" data centers, with opponents raising issues about water consumption, electrical demand, land use, and noise impacts. Bogner proposed a ban on data centers larger than one acre, which was also seconded by Parks but similarly failed on a 3-2 vote.
County staff and legal counsel, including County Counselor Jphn Settle, clarified that no applications for either type of facility have yet been submitted in Reno County. Any future applications would be reviewed through the existing conditional use permit process, involving a public hearing before the Planning and Zoning Commission and a final decision by the County Commission.