Raleigh City Council passes data center pause
The Raleigh City Council voted 7-1 to impose a six-month moratorium on approving large data centers. The pause excludes projects with applications already submitted and smaller facilities, while opponents argued that six months is too short and called for a longer moratorium.
The Raleigh City Council approved a six-month pause on approvals for large data centers in a 7-1 vote. The moratorium does not apply to projects whose applications have already been submitted or to smaller facilities under 10,000 square feet and 5 megawatts.
The decision followed about an hour of public comment and opposition demonstrations outside the council meeting. Critics sought a substantially longer pause, including one proposal for 32 months, to study environmental impacts and develop regulations with community input. Council members defended the six-month timeframe, saying the city could build on existing work rather than start its regulatory process from scratch. The council plans to hold several meetings before the moratorium expires in April, when members are expected to vote on the next steps.