The Taylor County Iowa board of supervisors approve a 12 month moratorium on data centers and related businesses.
The ten page document that received a unanimous vote also applies to solar energy systems, battery energy storage systems, and mineral extraction operations.
The ordinance says Taylor County's existing land use regulations were not designed for these industries and that the regulations do not adequately address the unique characteristics, scale, duration, and cumulative impact of these businesses.
The ordinance says these proposed developments present novel land use issues, including but not limited to infrastructure capacity and demand on county roads, bridges, drainage systems, and emergency services.
Other issues are compatibility with existing agriculture operations and rural residential uses, protection of prime agricultural land, groundwater and surface water availability and quality, stormwater management and soil erosion, impacts on viewsheds and the rural character of Taylor County, decommissioning-reclamation-and long term stewardship obligations, and fiscal impacts on Taylor County's services and revenues.
The moratorium, according to the ordinance, provides adequate time to develop comprehensive regulations. The board cites Iowa law that gives them authority to regulate land use and adopt interim zoning regulations.
Supervisors can end the moratorium early, according to the ordinance, if the board determines that its purposes have been accomplished or that continuing it is no longer necessary or appropriate.
