Oldham County residents urge fiscal court to regulate proposed ‘Project Lincoln’ data center

At the May 20 meeting of the Oldham County Fiscal Court, scores of residents used the public-comment period to press the court to regulate or reject a proposed hyperscale data center, variously identified in remarks as “Project Lincoln” or the Oldham County Data Center and promoted by Western Hospitality Partners.

Speakers urged formal steps ranging from referral to the county attorney and county engineer to creation of a study or moratorium and to use of a “thermal utility district” to capture and control waste heat. Several residents also asked the court to refuse tax abatements or other incentives for any hyperscale data center.

Alan Hayes, a LaGrange resident who said he has followed data centers for more than a decade, told the court he did not support the proposed data center and asked that the court “refer this Thermal Utility District proposal” to counsel and the county engineer so the county could document harms and establish enforceable limits. Hayes described a thermal energy district as “a closed loop water system” used in other cities and said Kentucky law provides local authority for utility districts and certain recycling programs.

Barry Laws,…