Boone Town Council Passes One-Year Data Center Moratorium 5-0; Watauga County Commissioners Move Toward County-Wide Restrictions

On Monday evening, the Boone Town Council unanimously enacted a one-year moratorium on new data center and cryptocurrency mining operations within town limits, with a 5-0 vote. Mayor Dalton George led the public hearing process for the measure, citing concerns that data centers would strain local infrastructure, deplete water resources, and harm the environment and neighboring communities. The moratorium provides officials a year to develop comprehensive regulations and prohibitions for such facilities. Environmental groups, including MountainTrue, Watauga Riverkeeper, and Upper New River Keeper, were recognized by Mayor George for their support of the initiative. Concurrently, the Watauga County Board of Commissioners also voted unanimously to schedule a public hearing for Tuesday, April 21, considering a potential county-wide data center moratorium. These actions reflect a growing trend among municipalities across North Carolina and the United States to pause data center development while studying its broad impacts.