Lincoln County backs down on hyperscale data center moratorium

Lincoln County backs down on hyperscale data center moratorium

CANTON, S.D. — A moratorium on hyperscale data centers isn’t the right fit for Lincoln County at this time, county officials have decided. The Lincoln County Commission on Tuesday, Feb. 24, failed to take action on a proposal that would have imposed a one-year moratorium on the construction of any AI hyperscale data centers. The proposal failed due to lack of a second. The ordinance was proposed by Commissioner Joel Arends, who branded the morat…

Lincoln County Commission rejects data center moratorium

Photo by Tobias Reich on UnsplashLincoln County’s data center debate turned hostile Tuesday night, with a speaker promising political retaliation to any of the five county commissioners who support them.When an audience member interrupted from the floor, Commission Chair Tiffani Landeen threatened to clear the room.After about two hours, commissioners rejected a proposed one-year moratorium on “AI hyperscale” data centers. The motion died withou…