After more than four hours of public comment, back-and-forth discussions on a moratorium versus a ban, the current pace of data center applications grandfathered under an existing moratorium and multiple procedural questions, the Nye County Commission ultimately voted Aug. 4 to continue a bill to ban data centers in county areas that do not have elected town boards.
Commissioner Ian Bayne had put the bill forward to address data center development in Pahrump Valley, which has become a heated point of concern for many residents. Public attendance was so heavy at last week’s meeting that many people were forced to wait outside after the chamber exceeded capacity.
Bayne argued for a ban, reasoning a moratorium the County had implemented on new applications had not slowed developers’ work on applications submitted before the cutoff. He argued an outright ban is the only way to stop data center development activity until the new Board is seated in January.
More than 3,400 people have signed a symbolic petition to ban data centers in the area.
Editor’s Note: NVBEX and its sister publication, AZBEX, have extensively covered the recent increase in data center restrictions. To view our previous Nevada-centric coverage, click here. Arizona has moved more quickly to apply restrictions. To view our previous Arizona-centric coverage to see what may come, click here.
Commissioner Bruce Jabbour argued he believed it would be better to put the matter before voters as a ballot consideration, a suggestion many in the room loudly supported.
Bayne and Jabbour both held out for their respective preferences. Jabbour eventually made a motion to continue the discussion at the next meeting and to place the ban election question as an agenda item, along with identifying a funding source.
The motion to continue passed, and the ballot and funding question, as well as the rest of the agenda items from the Aug. 4 meeting, will now be heard Aug. 18. (Source: Pahrump Valley Times)
