Brown County committee declines action on data center moratorium
The Brown County Planning, Development, and Transportation Committee declined to take action on a proposed data center moratorium, citing state law limitations. Residents packed the meeting to express strong opposition, primarily concerned about water resources. County Supervisor Christopher Welch, who proposed the moratorium, suggested exploring other ways to regulate large-scale data centers.
The Brown County Planning, Development, and Transportation Committee recently chose not to act on a proposed data center moratorium. This decision came despite strong community opposition to large-scale data centers, with many residents packing the meeting and expressing fears about losing clean water resources.
County officials informed the public that state statutes do not permit county-level data center moratoriums. They advised residents seeking a moratorium to approach their local town or village governments, such as the town of Rockland, as the county lacks the legal authority to impose such a ban.
Brown County Supervisor Christopher Welch, who initially proposed the data center moratorium, then asked the committee to consider alternative methods for regulating large-scale data centers. Committee members indicated they would meet with Supervisor Welch and other municipal leaders to discuss future regulatory steps. They also encouraged community members to contact their state representatives to advocate for statewide data center regulations.