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Residents urge Crawford County to broaden moratorium to include private energy campuses and data centers
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Summary
Public commenters asked the Crawford County Board of Commissioners to expand an existing moratorium to cover private energy campuses and hyperscale AI/data centers, citing concerns about bypassing county oversight, lease secrecy, health impacts and loss of farmland.
Residents and landowners urged the Crawford County Board of Commissioners on March 31 to adopt a broader moratorium aimed at private energy campuses and hyperscale data centers, saying those projects can avoid county oversight and threaten farmland, public health and tax bases.
Becky Willard told the board they were "back to ask for another moratorium that includes new entities," specifically citing private energy campuses and data centers that she said can "skate around county commissions" and, in some cases, tap old gas wells "to run their motors and engines off of gas for free." Willard also referenced a mapped solar project near McCune and said she suspected attempts at annexation where city boundaries are involved.
Jovanna Brackett‑Oetinger, speaking next, said many leaseholders have nondisclosure requirements that limit what neighbors can learn and recounted that a landowner who tried to add limits to a lease was rebuffed by the company’s attorney. "Everyone who has signed a lease with Shasta Power and other companies have also signed papers not to discuss," she said, and raised health concerns and a loss of taxable property for county residents whose land borders projects.
County Counselor Jim Emerson said he reviewed the county’s existing moratorium and confirmed it "does not specifically mention these" newer project types; he told the board he could draft a new resolution to expand the moratorium if the commissioners direct him to do so. Commissioners asked procedural questions and noted they would need a formal resolution and a vote to enact a change.
The board did not take immediate action on a revised moratorium during the March 31 meeting. Commissioners asked Emerson to research legal options and impacts, and Commissioner Wood suggested that concerns about loss of farmland were not unique to Crawford County. The hearing included no formal votes or new ordinance language; any expansion would require a drafted resolution and subsequent board action.