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Tennessee Conservative News [By Olivia Lupia] –
Another Tennessee municipality is seeking to implement a data center moratorium as County Commissioners passed a resolution asking the Roane County Planning Commission to advise a two-year pause and create new regulations around any future sites.
Initially presented as a 6-month pause, the resolution was amended during the County Commission meeting on Monday to extend the moratorium to two years, a move which received applause from members of the community attending the meeting.
The resolution directs the planning commission to create a recommendation on enacting a moratorium to prevent the processing, review and approval of zoning requests, permits, or site plans to build or operate data centers, battery storage facilities, or cryptocurrency mines in the county until further zoning and building regulations are adopted.
Some reasons listed in the resolution justifying the need for the moratorium include usage of large amounts of water and electricity, high-frequency noise from cooling fans, and emergency response challenges which was further addressed by Commissioner Brad Goss at the meeting.
“Mr. Chairman, I’d like to say, I am not an advocate on these things. Just like it’s been spoke, it’s a health issue,” Goss said. “There’s one factor we’ve also left out of these. From my fire experience, when these buildings or these utility places catch fire, you can do your research. I have. They are a monster to deal with during emergency events. We have enough issues in this county dealing with trying to provide fire protection. We don’t need another burden such as these big facilities.”
Roane County is not the only East Tennessee municipality forging ahead with data center moratoriums as both the City of Knoxville and Knox County recently approved their own one-year pauses with intent to develop or amend regulations regarding future developments.
Jefferson County issued a 10-month moratorium in May, Loudon County passed its own six-month halt in June, and Hamilton County Mayor Weston Wamp has proposed a one-year moratorium, specifically seeking to protect rural areas is working its way through the County Commission.
About the Author: Olivia Lupia is a political refugee from Colorado who now calls Tennessee home. A proud follower of Christ, she views all political happenings through a Biblical lens and aims to utilize her knowledge and experience to educate and equip others. Olivia is an outspoken conservative who has run for local office, managed campaigns, and been highly involved with state & local GOPs, state legislatures, and other grassroots organizations and movements. Olivia can be reached at olivia@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
