A proposal to impose an 18-month data center moratorium has advanced to the Dane County Board of Supervisors.
The proposal, recommended for approval on May 26 by the board’s Zoning and Land Regulation Committee, will be placed on the June 4 County Board agenda.
It would prevent the processing and issuance of zoning permits for new data centers in order to allow the County Board’s Advisory Committee on Data Centers time to research the environmental, utility and land-use effects of large-scale facilities.
The data center advisory committee is made up of 11 members, including County Board Chairman Patrick Miles, municipal representatives and environmental and energy experts.
So-called “hyperscale” data centers, which are being constructed in Wisconsin and elsewhere to accommodate artificial intelligence applications, are increasingly controversial due to the large amounts of electricity and water they consume and the public’s concern about how they affect land use and utility rates.
According to Dane County board staff, the moratorium would apply to towns subject to county zoning.
However, it would not apply to cities, villages or towns that have adopted their own zoning codes. The city of Madison has enacted its own temporary data center moratorium, which will be the subject of a public information meeting on Wednesday, June 3, at 5:30 p.m.
The county resolution comes as the Advisory Committee on Data Centers continues its work researching data center development, including questions about energy use, water resources, long-term land use, and the demands of artificial intelligence and digital infrastructure on local communities.
County Board Chair Patrick Miles said in a statement that the committee was created to research the promises and the complex questions that come with this type of development.
“There is growing concern that Dane County communities could see project proposals before that work is complete,” Miles said. “This moratorium gives the committee the time it needs to finish and gives the county the opportunity to make thoughtful, data-driven policy decisions informed by their findings.”
The resolution states that the construction and operation of data centers raise potential health and safety concerns, including the strain on public services and infrastructure, and potential impacts on property values, agricultural land, and the general welfare of residents, businesses and visitors.
It also notes that data center development, as it currently stands, is inconsistent with the Dane County Comprehensive Plan and the Dane County Zoning Ordinance.
“Since the county moratorium can only legally apply to towns under county zoning, it is our hope that cities, villages, and towns with their own zoning codes will consider adopting their own moratoriums so their residents can also benefit from the work of the ACDC,” Miles said.
