Springfield imposes moratorium on new data centers
Springfield City Council has unanimously voted to enact a 120-day moratorium on new data center applications. This pause allows city staff to research potential impacts, including water and energy use, noise, and economic development, and to define data centers in city code. Mayor Jeff Schrag expedited the vote to prevent applications from being filed before the moratorium could take effect.
Springfield, Missouri, City Council has unanimously enacted a 120-day moratorium on new data center applications, with an 8-0 vote during a special meeting on June 29. The moratorium was initiated to provide city staff with time to gather public input and study the potential impacts of data centers, including their significant water and energy consumption, noise and air pollution, and broader economic development implications. Currently, Springfield's city code lacks a formal definition for data centers.
Mayor Jeff Schrag stated that the decision to hold a special, expedited meeting was to prevent developers from submitting applications in the interim period, citing a prior preliminary discussion between city staff and one developer regarding a potential data center project along the Medical Mile. This action by Springfield follows similar moratoriums recently approved by other local governing bodies in southwest Missouri, including the city of Seymour and Webster and Stone counties. The Webster County moratorium was reportedly a response to community strong opposition over an AI data center being built near Marshfield.