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Butler County board approves temporary moratorium on cryptocurrency mining and battery storage projects
Summary
On March 25, 2025 the Butler County Board of Supervisors unanimously adopted a temporary moratorium on cryptocurrency and data-mining facilities and battery energy storage systems to give the Planning & Zoning Commission time to draft ordinances; the moratorium runs until April 1, 2026 or until an ordinance is adopted.
The Butler County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved Resolution #18-2025 on March 25, 2025, imposing an immediate moratorium on the development and construction of cryptocurrency and data-mining facilities and battery energy storage systems in the county. The measure, adopted to allow the Planning & Zoning Commission time to research and draft regulatory language, is effective immediately and will remain in place until April 1, 2026, or until an ordinance addressing these uses is adopted.
Misty Kofron of the county Planning and Zoning Commission told the board the commission had identified concerns about how such facilities could affect county infrastructure, natural resources and property rights and needs time to coordinate with other agencies before recommending new ordinance language. The resolution cites the county’s zoning authority under Iowa Code Chapter 335 as the basis for taking temporary action.
Chairman Rusty Eddy and the two other supervisors voted to adopt the resolution after the commission’s presentation. The moratorium’s stated purpose is to give planners and county officials time to review technical, safety and land‑use issues and to draft a Cryptocurrency & Data Mining Facilities and Battery Energy Storage Systems Ordinance before new facilities are permitted.
The board did not set a date in the meeting for drafting or finalizing ordinance language; the moratorium expires by its terms on April 1, 2026 unless superseded earlier by an adopted ordinance. The board’s action was procedural and did not approve any development proposals for such facilities during the moratorium period.
The board’s adoption of the moratorium followed public comment earlier in the meeting from residents in neighboring jurisdictions raising concerns about a proposed battery storage facility in Glenville, Minnesota near the Shell Rock River; Chairman Eddy said Butler County would consider whether to send a letter of opposition at a future meeting.
