There will be a one-year ban on any new data centers in most of Oneida County.
The County Board voted unanimously Tuesday to pass a data center moratorium until regulations for them can be drawn up.
It’s for a one-year period but could be extended if the process to create regulations is taking longer.
Eric Rempala spoked during public comment on behalf of Oneida County Clean Water Action.
“I think that the P&D committee is doing the right thing setting a one-year moratorium, so you understand better what data centers mean. Wisconsin’s learning very fast, all across the state,” said Rempala. “A one-year halt to a data center is not unreasonable for you, the county board, to put together some kind of ordinance language that protects the water, protects the public.”
There are not any known plans for a data center in the county. The issue is if company wanted to build one in the county right now, there’s no ordinances for them.
Municipalities across the state have started considering their own regulations because of the lack of state or federal ones. Green, Dane, Dodge, Door, and Manitowoc counties have passed similar moratoriums, according to the Beloit Daily News.
“If we don’t have anything on the books, it’s almost like open season for a data center. We have to pass this moratorium and put something in the ordinance to restrict one way or another,” said Oneida County Board Chair Scott Holewinski. “I don’t think we can not allow it, but we have to allow it in a certain district, is what I think we have to [do]. We need to educate ourselves and come back and have some rules for data centers.”
The moratorium does not include the un-zoned areas of Sugar Camp, Monico, and Enterprise.
It also doesn’t include the City of Rhinelander which does its own zoning.
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.
