Missoula County, Montana Accepts Data Center Impact Report, Begins Drafting New Rules; Moratorium Could Be Extended Another Year
The Missoula County Commission in Montana accepted a report on data centers on the 12th and directed staff to begin drafting new regulations, with the temporary data center moratorium possibly to be extended for another year. The report generally concluded that data centers have "very real impacts" on health, safety, and the environment. Members of the public attending the meeting praised the county government's current temporary moratorium and urged the commission to extend it before new zoning rules take effect. The commission said accepting the report is preparation for the next step, and staff will develop specific rules to constrain the industry and its impacts; the commission chair said at the meeting that "there will be no gap." The data center controversy in Missoula County has lasted for some time, and the temporary moratorium and the drafting of new rules have become focal issues in local county government. After the report was accepted, the county government will enter the rule-drafting stage, and the new zoning controls will determine the conditions for future data center projects in the county. The commission has not yet announced a timetable for a draft of the new rules, nor made a final decision on extending the moratorium.
Source: Missoula Current
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: Wikimedia Commons，CC BY-SA 2.0，米苏拉县法院外景（资料图）
