Public hearing for data center moratorium in Carlton County set for August
The Carlton County Board has scheduled a public hearing for August 24 to discuss a proposed year-long moratorium on data centers. This interim ordinance would allow the county to study whether additional regulations are needed. The hearing follows requests from the grassroots group, Carlton County Land Stewards.
The Carlton County Board has scheduled a public hearing for August 24 to consider a proposed year-long interim ordinance, or moratorium, on data center development. The hearing, set for 4:15 p.m. at the Carlton County Transportation Building Board Room in Carlton, follows a July 14 board meeting where the discussion was initiated.
If approved, the moratorium would allow the county to conduct a comprehensive study to determine the need for additional regulations pertaining to data centers. This move comes after persistent advocacy from the grassroots organization, Carlton County Land Stewards, who formally requested a moratorium at both a county planning commission meeting and a board of commissioners meeting. Members of the group also spoke at a July 7 Committee of the Whole meeting.
The county's consideration of a moratorium occurs as the nearby city of Hermantown is evaluating a proposal from Google for a new data center project.