Over 6,000 people have signed an online petition urging a rural Tennessee county to impose an 18-month moratorium on data centers.
The petition comes as Lawrence County may be getting a data center in Lawrenceburg. The city’s planning commission will hold a meeting on July 9th to discuss the data center’s site plan.
According to the petition, residents of the Middle Tennessee county “deserve transparency, careful planning, and a full public review process before any/all types of data center projects move forward in our community.”
“Data centers can place significant demands on local infrastructure, including electricity systems, water resources, and emergency services,” the petition says. “Because of these potential impacts, communities across the country have begun reviewing zoning regulations, environmental protections, and long-term planning policies before approving similar developments.”
The petition asks county elected officials to make sure data centers take on the full cost of “necessary electrical substation expansions and high-voltage line extensions rather than local ratepayers.”
Furthermore, the petition requests that they evaluate projected water and waste demands for data centers in the county, which has around 50,000 residents. The petition also asks county elected officials to review potential impacts on the environment, wildlife, and public use spaces as well as audit zoning regulations.
Lawrence County residents ask county elected officials to analyze the impact that data centers will have on the county’s Amish population and local tourism industry. The county has an estimated 2,300 Amish residents, according to Elizabethtown College.
Residents seek a public town hall event with county elected officials, data center and independent environmental experts to discuss a moratorium, the petition says.
“This request is not about opposing technology or economic development. It is about ensuring growth happens responsibly, transparently, and in a way that protects the natural resources, infrastructure capacity, and quality of life of Lawrence County residents,” the petition notes.
“A temporary moratorium would allow the community to make informed decisions based on facts, expert analysis, and public input rather than rushing into approvals without sufficient review,” it adds.
Numerous counties throughout Tennessee, such as Davidson County and Wilson County, are also considering implementing regulations around data centers.
Coffee County has implemented a one-year ban on data centers.
In Knox County, its county commission will vote tonight on whether to implement a moratorium on data centers.
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Zachery Schmidt is the digital editor of The Star News Network. Email tips to Zachery at zschmidt1717@gmail.com.
