Oneida County passes one-year data center moratorium
The Oneida County Board in Wisconsin has unanimously passed a one-year moratorium on new data center developments. This ban allows the county time to establish comprehensive zoning ordinances and regulations for data centers, which are currently lacking.
The Oneida County Board in Wisconsin unanimously enacted a one-year moratorium on new data center developments across most of the county. The decision, made on Tuesday, aims to provide the county with time to draft and implement specific regulations and zoning ordinances for data centers, as no such rules currently exist.
Eric Rempala, representing Oneida County Clean Water Action, spoke in favor of the moratorium during public comment, emphasizing the need for the county board to understand the implications of data centers and to create ordinances that protect water resources and the public. Board Chair Scott Holewinski underscored the necessity of the moratorium, stating that without it, the county would be an "open season" for data centers and that the board needs to educate itself to establish appropriate rules, possibly restricting data centers to specific districts.
Similar moratoriums have been passed in other Wisconsin counties like Green, Dane, Dodge, Door, and Manitowoc due to the absence of state or federal regulations. The Oneida County moratorium specifically excludes un-zoned areas such as Sugar Camp, Monico, and Enterprise, as well as the City of Rhinelander, which manages its own zoning. During this period, the county will not accept, process, approve, or issue permits for new data center developments.