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Linn County panel weighs strict water, power and safety rules for data centers and battery storage
Summary
At a Linn County Planning and Zoning Committee workshop, members debated proposed rules that would require closed-loop cooling, testing and disposal standards for coolants, NFPA/UL code references for battery systems and potentially require on-site power generation; the committee asked staff to redraft and research federal guidance before public hearing.
The Linn County Planning and Zoning Committee spent a workshop reviewing redline drafts of proposed energy and infrastructure zoning regulations that would limit water use, tighten safety requirements for battery energy storage systems and, in draft language, require large facilities to generate their own electricity.
The discussion centered on three practical levers: cooling systems and water consumption, safety and code compliance for battery systems, and whether to require on-site electrical generation. The committee asked staff to clean up definitions, add missing UL and NFPA references and return with a revised draft for public notice and committee vote.
Members reviewed language that would require large technical facilities to use closed-loop liquid cooling with dry-cooler rejection technology so the cooling medium remains fully contained. A committee member urged that “any coolant removed from the closed loop system must be tested and disposed of in…
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