My town passed a data-center moratorium, and yours can, too
Lochbuie, Colorado, passed a five-year moratorium on AI data centers amid concerns about water consumption, pollution, electricity demand and limited local economic benefits. In neighboring Brighton, residents opposed a proposed data center, prompting the developer to withdraw its application and the city council to advance a one-year moratorium awaiting final approval.
Lochbuie Mayor Jamie Jeffery says the town adopted a five-year moratorium on AI data centers after residents raised concerns about water use, pollution, noise, electricity demand and the limited number of permanent jobs such facilities create. Jeffery argued that Colorado's drought, declining reservoir levels and stressed water supplies make large-scale data centers a particular concern.
In neighboring Brighton, opposition to a proposed data center led the developer to withdraw its application. The Brighton City Council subsequently advanced a one-year moratorium on similar construction, although final approval was still pending. Jeffery presented the local actions as examples for other communities, while arguing that state and federal regulation has not adequately addressed data center impacts.