Bell County to Consider Data Center Moratorium Amid Legal Concerns and Public Opposition
Bell County Commissioners Court will discuss a potential moratorium on data centers, though its legality for counties is uncertain. The discussion follows significant public opposition and controversies surrounding multiple data center projects in Temple and a withdrawn project in Killeen. Key concerns include water and electricity usage, as well as quality of life issues from noise.
The Bell County Commissioners Court in Texas is scheduled to discuss a moratorium on data centers on June 1, in response to growing controversies surrounding several projects in the county. Precinct 4 Commissioner Louie Minor, a Democrat from Killeen, requested the agenda item despite believing that only cities, not counties, are legally permitted to enact such moratoriums. Minor stated his motivation was to allow the public to voice their opposition to data centers.
Public complaints primarily revolve around data centers' high consumption of water and electricity, along with noise pollution affecting local residents. In Temple, where Rowan Digital Infrastructure and Meta operate data centers, activists unsuccessfully attempted to recall city council members over a data center project. In Killeen, a rezoning request for a proposed data center by OnMine was withdrawn in April after significant public backlash during a Planning and Zoning Commission meeting, indicating it would have likely failed a supermajority vote.
Commissioner Minor suggested that if a moratorium is not feasible, the county could instead refuse to grant tax abatement agreements to data center developers as an alternative way to address public concerns. The discussion highlights the economic incentives for cities to host data centers due to property tax revenue, while also acknowledging the significant community opposition and environmental considerations associated with these developments.