Bell County, Kentucky, approves data center moratorium

The Bell County Fiscal Court in Kentucky has approved the first reading of a two-year moratorium on data center construction following a special meeting with an overflowing crowd of concerned citizens. The decision came after more than 30 residents, including Katie Taylor whose family home is near a proposed data center on Jellico Mine Road, spoke against the development, citing concerns over property values, noise impact on livestock, environmental issues, water availability, and potential rises in electricity prices.

Property owner Dale Murray, who plans the data center on a former coal mine site, addressed the court, detailing the project's plans, including its use of closed-loop cooling to reduce water consumption and insulation to mitigate noise to 60-70 decibels. He highlighted the site's "brownfield" status and the availability of 360 additional megawatts from LGE & KU, making it suitable for a data center. Murray also noted the project would create over 1,000 construction jobs and about 100 long-term positions, with no requests for local tax breaks or infrastructure funding beyond a state sales tax exemption.

Magistrates, including Joe Hammontree who made the motion, unanimously approved the two-year ban, stating the need to prioritize residents' quality of life and conduct thorough research into the ramifications of data centers on the county's water, electricity, and peace. County Attorney Chris Douglas had prepared ordinances for varying moratorium lengths, but the two-year option was chosen. State Rep. Adam Bowling and Sen. Scott Madon were also in attendance. The court plans a second reading of the ordinance later this week.