Jefferson County supervisors pass moratorium on data centers

The Jefferson County Board of Supervisors in Iowa has enacted a 12-month moratorium on data center construction, simultaneously approving an ordinance to regulate these facilities. The decision, made unanimously by Supervisors Joe Ledger, Lee Dimmitt, and Susie Drish, followed a public hearing where an overwhelming majority of attendees expressed support for the moratorium.

Jefferson County Attorney Chauncey Moulding advised the board that a 12-month moratorium was more legally defensible than the 24-month period requested by some residents, to avoid appearing as a de facto ban on data centers. Moulding assured the public that the county's ordinance is legally enforceable and can be defended in court against potential challenges from corporations. He cited a past Iowa Supreme Court case, Worthwhile Wind v. Worth County, where a county's moratorium on wind energy development was upheld, as a precedent.

Public concerns focused heavily on the environmental impact, particularly the high water and electricity consumption of data centers. Residents like Paul Merrill, Paul Winer, and John Congdon expressed skepticism about the benefits of data centers for the county. Iowa House District 88 candidates Jeff Shipley and Tom O'Donnell also spoke in favor of a moratorium, with Shipley suggesting a 24-month period to allow the state legislature to set parameters. Moulding noted the ordinance specifically regulates data centers using 5 megawatts of continuous electricity, choosing power draw as an easier metric to regulate than water, though future study could lead to water regulations. The next step involves designating a team to study the environmental impacts of data centers within the county.