Humboldt County Supervisors Vote to Pursue Moratorium on AI Data Centers
Humboldt County’s Board of Supervisors approved staff to prepare an ordinance for a moratorium on AI data centers, alongside bans on offshore oil support facilities and immigration detention centers. The decision came amid public suspicion that an Amazon warehouse project in McKinleyville could be converted into either a detention facility or a data center. Residents expressed strong support for the proposed moratorium and bans.
The Humboldt County Board of Supervisors recently gave staff the go-ahead to draft ordinances for a moratorium on AI data centers and bans on offshore oil support facilities and immigration detention centers. This action, taken at their July 14 meeting, reflected a consensus among supervisors regarding the data center and detention facility measures, though the oil facility ban saw some disagreement.
A significant backdrop to the discussions was public concern over Amazon's warehouse project in McKinleyville. Planning Director John Ford noted widespread suspicion that the facility could be repurposed into either an immigration detention center or a data center, despite existing zoning incompatibilities for a detention facility. Supervisors, including Chair Mike Wilson, acknowledged these public fears, though Supervisor Michelle Bushnell questioned the historical precedent for such conversions, which Ford confirmed were rare.
Public comments were largely in favor of the proposed bans and moratoriums. Residents like Ilene Mandelbaum and Krista Boardman expressed strong desires to preserve Humboldt County's character and avoid issues associated with detention centers and large data center developments. Supervisor Steve Madrone emphasized the importance of proactively addressing concerns about detention centers given past political stances within the county. Ultimately, the authorization for staff to prepare the detention center ban and data center moratorium was unanimously approved by the supervisors.