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Resident urges Bracken County to adopt local rules for AI data centers, citing water, noise and power concerns
Summary
Max Moran told the fiscal court that Kentucky lacks statewide regulation for data centers and urged local limits on cooling water use, noise mitigation and siting in industrial zones; magistrates asked about NDAs, jobs and electric-rate impacts.
Max Moran, a presenter invited by the court, told Bracken County Fiscal Court on Aug. 13 that counties should adopt "common-sense regulation" for AI and large data centers, focusing on electricity use, water sourcing, noise from HVAC systems and runoff. He said Kentucky is among a minority of states without specific rules and cited examples and moratoria in other states as models.
Moran recommended restricting industrial cooling water withdrawals to river sources rather than drawing from local aquifers, arguing that the facilities can use “millions and millions of gallons of water every single day.” He also emphasized that the primary noise source is exterior cooling equipment rather than internal servers and warned that cooling systems can produce sustained low-frequency noise that is difficult to block.
Magistrates and staff asked questions about nondisclosure agreements, potential job counts and electrical-grid impacts. Moran said some company details are proprietary and that information gathered by nearby counties and news outlets has been used to inform his remarks. He also said the court could adopt ordinances or nuisance rules to limit siting and specify mitigation requirements.
Judge Teegarden and other magistrates discussed next steps: visiting existing sites, gathering more technical data from regulatory agencies and reviewing model ordinances from neighboring counties. Moran said he planned site visits to facilities in other states and that residents’ concerns had prompted his presentation.
The court did not take formal action on data-center regulation at the meeting; Moran’s presentation concluded with a recommendation that the court consider local ordinance language addressing water use, noise limits, runoff treatment and industrial siting.
