Wright County Board Approves Data Center Moratorium
The Wright County Board of Commissioners unanimously enacted an emergency temporary moratorium on data center applications in its townships for up to one year. This pause will allow the county to develop appropriate land-use plans and ordinance language to regulate data center development. Public concerns included water and electricity usage, environmental impacts, noise, and light pollution.
The Wright County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved an emergency moratorium on data center applications for all its townships during its May 19th meeting. This temporary halt, which can last up to one year, aims to provide the county with time to study, review, and adopt comprehensive ordinance language governing the time, place, and manner in which data centers will be permitted.
County Commissioner Kirby Moynagh initiated the discussion, emphasizing the need for proactive planning to establish appropriate setbacks and environmental considerations before developers submit proposals. The moratorium, codified as County Ordinance 26-2, does not affect separate ordinance language recently passed by the City of Monticello, which also addresses data center development within its municipal limits.
A public hearing on the moratorium saw 14 individuals speak, all in favor of its enactment. Residents expressed concerns regarding water usage, electrical usage, environmental impacts, noise, light pollution, geothermal issues, and risks to aquifers. Board Chair Darek Vetsch clarified that the emergency moratorium is not intended as an outright ban, stating that state and federal laws prevent such prohibitions. He stressed the need to create an ordinance that allows data centers under appropriate conditions to avoid litigation. Vetsch also invited residents to apply for a work group that will help define parameters for potential data centers.