Rural Kentucky county passes two-year data center moratorium
Following resident activism, Bell County, Kentucky, has enacted a two-year moratorium on data center construction. This action highlights ongoing challenges faced by other Kentucky counties, including Louisville, as they grapple with how to effectively zone and regulate these energy-intensive facilities amid environmental concerns.
Residents in rural Bell County, Kentucky, successfully advocated for a two-year moratorium on data center construction, highlighting the ongoing challenges local governments face in regulating these energy and water-intensive facilities. The Kentucky Association of Counties notes that over two dozen data centers currently operate in the state, with many more projects under consideration.
Ashley Wilmes, executive director of the Kentucky Resources Council, emphasized the lack of statewide regulation, leading local governments to devise their own zoning solutions. The Council developed a model ordinance proposing a new zoning classification and conditional use permits to maximize public input, addressing concerns such as noise pollution, contaminated cooling water, and high energy and water consumption impacts on ratepayers.
Wilmes cited Simpson County, where a data center with on-site power generation was approved under a zoning code intended for smaller service establishments, illustrating the inadequacy of current classifications. Meanwhile, Louisville city leaders are considering a new ordinance that would ban data centers exceeding 500,000 square feet and require conditional use permits for smaller ones, an approach Wilmes criticizes for focusing on size rather than intensity of use and its impacts. The final public hearing for Louisville's proposed ordinance recently took place.