St. Joseph County Council candidate calls for moratorium on data centers
A Republican St. Joseph County Council candidate is proposing a two-year moratorium on large-scale data centers in the county. The proposed pause aims to allow officials time to evaluate concerns including utility and water use, noise, traffic, and neighborhood impacts. Four Republican council members are reportedly in support of the proposal.
Republican St. Joseph County Council candidate Jamie O'Brien has called for a two-year moratorium on large-scale data center developments within St. Joseph County, Indiana. O'Brien stated that this pause would provide county officials with the necessary time to thoroughly assess potential concerns related to utility and water consumption, noise pollution, increased traffic, and overall neighborhood impacts stemming from such facilities.
The proposal has garnered support from four other Republican members of the county council. This development comes as the county is already a site for significant data center activity, including a planned Microsoft data center in Granger and a large Amazon Web Services (AWS) campus currently under construction in New Carlisle.