Caddo Commission Unable to Advance Data Center Moratorium Resolution

The Caddo Parish Commission in Northwest Louisiana sought to implement a temporary moratorium on future data center projects due to concerns about their impact on neighboring communities, particularly in unincorporated zones. However, during a Monday meeting, Parish Attorney Donna Frazier advised commissioners that a moratorium could not be legally enacted via resolution, as a resolution does not possess the force of law under the parish charter.

Frazier further explained that even an ordinance would not solve the problem, as Caddo Parish currently lacks the necessary master plan and zoning ordinances in these unincorporated areas to legally support a moratorium. She warned that enacting a moratorium in such an area would violate the Louisiana Constitution of 1974. Additionally, the attorney clarified that the current commission cannot pass a resolution that would bind or prevent future commissioners from considering a project.

Amidst public demands for an immediate halt to hyperscale data center construction, with residents citing concerns about property values and health, the commission voted to send the resolution back to committee. To make a moratorium legally binding, the commission would need to initiate a study and develop a new master plan for the area, a process estimated to take up to two years. Until new planning and zoning regulations are established, commissioners can only vote down individual data center projects as they arise, rather than imposing a blanket moratorium, indicating a prolonged debate over data center growth in Caddo Parish.