Data center vote stirs controversy in New Orleans
The New Orleans City Planning Commission rejected a proposed framework that would prohibit large and hyperscale data centers while allowing smaller facilities under restrictions. Commissioners asked the City Council to extend its existing one-year moratorium after residents and activists raised concerns about environmental impacts and strain on water and power systems.
The New Orleans City Planning Commission voted against advancing planning staff recommendations for regulating data centers, finding that the proposal was not ready for consideration by the City Council. The recommendations would prohibit large and hyperscale facilities and permit smaller data centers in designated areas subject to size, power-use and other restrictions.
The commission also asked the New Orleans City Council to extend a one-year moratorium approved in January while the city developed definitions and guidelines. Opposition speakers, including members of the Party for Socialism and Liberation, called for banning all new data centers, citing quality-of-life, environmental, water and electricity concerns. The proposal had been repeatedly deferred before the vote.