Bloomington agrees to 6-month halt on data centers
The Bloomington City Council unanimously approved a six-month moratorium on new data center projects consuming five or more megawatts of power. This temporary halt allows the city to research the impact of data centers, which were previously treated like warehouses under city code.
The Bloomington City Council has unanimously approved a six-month moratorium on new data center projects within the city.
This temporary measure means Bloomington will not accept any new applications for data centers that would use five or more megawatts of power for the duration of the moratorium. The primary purpose of this pause is to allow the city to thoroughly research the potential impacts of such developments, an issue that was previously overlooked as data centers were simply classified and treated as warehouses under city code, without specific restrictions on their construction or operation.
As part of this moratorium, the city council has also mandated at least two public hearings. These hearings are intended to bring in data center experts who can address and answer questions from the public regarding the implications of these facilities.