An indefinite ban on data centers across White County put in place by County Commissioners to prevent potential strain on the county’s electrical and water infrastructure.
White County Executive Denny Robinson said the commission decided to be proactive.
“There was just too much unknown about what impact they have on the community,” Robinson said. “There’s kind of a fear of electrical consumption, water consumption, and what that would do. And noise, what that does to wildlife, what does it do to surrounding people? Just too much unknown right now, so they want to make sure they understand what’s happening before they let them start coming into the community.”
Board Chairman Derrick Hutchings said the county currently has no zoning or regulations that would otherwise prevent a property owner from selling land to a data center developer. Hutchings said the resolution serves as a necessary first step to protect the county while officials seek more permanent solutions.
Several citizens in attendance applauded after the vote.
“It goes back to the infrastructure,” Hutchings said. “There’s a big concerns about the electrical grid and the water infrastructure grid too that they’re a big drain on that. And it doesn’t appear to be a lot of benefit for the county. They’re basically no employees that run them, they’re just there, machines that run it, maybe a handful of employees. So it’s not going to bring a bunch of jobs to the county and it’s going to be a strain on our infrastructure. So both of those combined, it’s not really conducive for the county to have those here.”
Robinson said the county has not yet been approached by any specific data center companies. Robinson said the board will spend time observing other communities that host the facilities and interviewing residents who live near them to compile a better understanding of the industry.
“If you make a knee-jerk reaction and let somebody in without doing the due diligence, it could be really detrimental to the community,” Robinson said. “So we want to make sure we got it right going forward.”
Hutchings said he plans to speak with state representatives in January to see if the legislature can provide more regulatory authority over smaller data centers. Hutchings said that without state help, the county may eventually have to consider implementing zoning, despite the unpopularity of the topic.
“I’m going to be honest, I don’t think we’re super protected with what we have now, but it’s a stepping stone, it’s a start,” Hutchings said. “We have to look at other ways, we need help from the state or we’re going to have to look at zoning. And zoning is a word that nobody likes to talk about. But the county’s changing, the state is changing, and we have to make sure our citizens are protected and we need to look at that as a possibility.”
Robinson said the county is focused on protecting its natural resources and maintaining a high standard of living for its citizens. Robinson said any company that comes to White County should contribute its fair share to the tax system and provide above-average pay for local workers.
“The environment is very important,” Robinson said. “I mean, we’re known as ‘The Land of Falling Water,’ so we want to protect our natural beauty, our water resources and obviously our electrical resources also.”
Robinson said the ban is indefinite but can be revisited if technology changes or if research proves the facilities are safe for the community.
