The Oneida County Planning and Development Committee passed an interim moratorium on data centers.
It still needs to be approved by the full county board.
There are currently no plans for a data center in the county.
“This issue was brought before the planning development committee,” said Planning and Zoning Director Karl Jennrich. “A lot of counties are being, I always use the term, hit with data centers.”
The data center moratorium ordinance amendment unanimously passed by the Oneida County Planning and Development Committee is meant to give the county at least year to come up with regulations for data centers.
The moratorium was supported by all the people that spoke during the public hearing for it.
Many people raised concerns of the water and electricity consumption of data centers as well as noise other potential pollution the centers have brought to other communities where they’ve been built.
Carol Warden studies lakes and streams in Wisconsin and spoke in favor of the moratorium.
“Our first priority of this county shall be to ensure that we do all we can to protect the cleanliness and health of our water, and it stays a place for our children to enjoy, just as we do,” said Warden. “Let's not be naive that Northern Wisconsin will be a focal point for these data centers. They need cooling, and they need water, and we have both.”
Wisconsin as a whole is appealing to companies looking to build data centers because of its abundance of freshwater and the sales tax exemption granted to data centers in the 2023-2025 state budget.
Tom Neal of Price County wants to the issue on the ballot.
“I'm glad you're doing what you're doing. I approve of this, but I think ultimately something this important, this sacred, our human connection to water should be a decision made by every citizen in this community,” said Neal.
The moratorium defines data centers as:
“Data Center means a facility, or a portion of a facility, whose primary purpose is to house computer systems and associated components, including servers, network equipment, and data storage systems, together with supporting mechanical, electrical, power generation, cooling, ventilation, and security systems.”
During the moratorium period the county cannot accept, process, approve, or issue approvals, permits, or authorizations for new data center developments.
The year could be extended if the county is still working through making the regulations.
The county has done something similar in the past when it was considering a CAFO, Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation, ordinance. But as one commentor pointed out, the county never ending up creating an ordinance.
“This is exactly what should not happen in the case of this data center. No action, no regulation, no control is not acceptable,” said Eric Rempala of Oneida County Clean Waters Action.
The moratorium does not include the un-zoned areas of Sugar Camp, Monico, and Enterprise.
The committee did discuss adding them to the moratorium, but that will likely need those town’s input and another public hearing.
The City of Rhinelander is also not included as it does its own zoning.
The moratorium is expected to be on the agenda for the August County Board meeting.
