Some Mountain West counties impose moratoriums on data centers, as national pause is proposed

Progressive lawmakers, including Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York), are proposing federal legislation to halt data center construction nationwide. Their aim is to pause development until comprehensive regulations addressing AI's social and environmental impacts are established, citing growing community concerns. While this national proposal lacks bipartisan support, the concept of data center moratoriums has gained traction in several Mountain West counties, crossing traditional political divides. In Kootenai County, Idaho, a majority-Republican area, officials previously enacted a moratorium due to community concerns about technological overreach, water, and power consumption. County Commissioner Leslie Duncan emphasized the priority of protecting the aquifer. Kootenai County subsequently lifted its moratorium after implementing new regulations that ban data centers from being located over the aquifer and require developers to obtain conditional use permits, which include opportunities for public comment. Duncan advocates for local control over such regulations rather than national mandates, citing the varying needs of different regions. Similarly, rural Logan County, Colorado, had and then lifted a moratorium after passing its own regulations. Larimer County, Colorado, currently has an active data center moratorium, and the Denver City Council is considering a similar measure. A national policy resource center, Good Jobs First, reports that legislation for data center construction pauses has been introduced in at least 12 states, with 54 local governments having already enacted short-term freezes. Separately, seven major tech companies have reportedly signed a non-binding Ratepayer Protection Pledge with the Trump administration, committing to cover the energy infrastructure costs for their data centers to prevent passing expenses onto households.