During a discussion about data centers and battery storage facilities, the Houston County commissioners decided to not implement a moratorium yet.
“We should not put a moratorium in because it is a timestamp,” Commissioner Kurt Zehnder said during the July 14 workgroup session. “If somebody proposes to put (a data center) in, then we put our moratorium down and start really putting the screws to this thing. I’m not in favor of it, but we should do it the right way.”
There are no data centers or battery storage facilities in Houston County. County Coordinator/HR Director Brent Parker said there are 15 operating data centers in Minnesota and 14 planned. The closest planned data center to Houston County is Project Skyway, near Pine Island in Goodhue County.
The commissioners have thoughts…
“We still need to do research into what a data center actually is,” Suzanne Bublitz, interim county attorney, said. “Be prepared for something to come up. Get prepared now. Then when someone makes requests, then we’re more prepared to respond, whether it’s a moratorium or something else.”
The board agreed data centers would not benefit the Houston County residents, which is part of why the members are against it.