The Nye County Board of Commissioners approved a moratorium on data centers during its June 2 meeting.
This comes after the Nye County Water District Governing Board requested the moratorium during its May 26 session. Other jurisdictions, such as the City of Reno, have recently paused data center developments.
NVBEX has extensively covered the discourse surrounding data center restrictions in Nevada. To view our previous coverage, click here.
The approved moratorium will be in place until Nye County updates regulations concerning data centers.
During the meeting, several residents spoke in support of a moratorium or even an outright ban on the resource-intensive buildings. Residents discussed environmental, transportation and emergency service concerns, among others.
Opponents of the moratorium discussed the County’s financial struggles, arguing allowing data centers could increase tax revenue. They also noted improved data center technologies reduce water consumption.
County Manager Brett Waggoner said a data center ordinance will take roughly 90 days to draft. Until the draft is made, a county-wide ordinance will be in place.
Some towns in the county, such as Tonopah, are considering opting out of a larger moratorium if it is approved. Jurisdictions under Nye County will be able to decide whether they wish to take part in an extended moratorium once the first draft is completed. (Source: Pahrump Valley Times)
