Oliver County, North Dakota, approves Applied Digital data center permit
Oliver County, North Dakota, has approved a building permit for an Applied Digital data center project, overcoming previous opposition and calls for a moratorium. The company agreed to concessions on water management, traffic, and noise. The article, an opinion piece, asserts that the approval process worked effectively to address concerns.
The Oliver County Commission in North Dakota voted 2-1 to approve a building permit for a new data center project by Applied Digital. This approval comes despite calls from a coalition of activists and politicians for a one-year moratorium on data centers.
Applied Digital made several concessions to address local concerns, including hauling water for operations and its septic system, replacing a planned drain field with a septic tank and using a licensed hauler for wastewater, and using state highways with private access points to manage traffic. The company also submitted a sound study for noise mitigation, committed to generator testing hour limits, and agreed to coordinate construction schedules and implement grass seeding, tree planting, and a noxious weed management plan. An unresolved issue remains regarding a reclamation bond, which company officials say is difficult to secure in the current insurance market; this matter may be taken up by the state Legislature's artificial intelligence committee.
The article, an opinion piece by Rob Port, highlights that Oliver County previously had a data center moratorium that was later lifted after careful consideration, concluding that initial "hysterics" were unwarranted. Port argues that the approval process in Oliver County demonstrates that data centers can be built responsibly, with local governments capable of addressing specific concerns through existing regulatory frameworks.