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Geary County adopts 12‑month moratorium on new data centers and alternative‑energy facility applications
Summary
The Board of Commissioners accepted a planning commission recommendation and passed a resolution imposing a 12‑month moratorium on acceptance and processing of applications for data centers and alternative-energy facilities in unincorporated Geary County, exempting projects already permitted; commissioners said the pause will allow fact-finding on infrastructure, environmental and resource impacts.
A planning commission representative urged the Geary County Board of Commissioners on June 22 to approve a temporary moratorium on new data-center and alternative-energy facility applications while the county gathers technical guidance and evaluates impacts.
The board accepted the recommendation and approved a resolution establishing a 12‑month moratorium on acceptance and processing of applications for alternative-energy facilities and data centers in the unincorporated county. The moratorium explicitly covers wind and solar energy projects, battery energy storage, associated infrastructure and data-center developments including crypto-mining; it exempts projects that already hold permits. The resolution was moved, seconded and approved by voice vote.
Planning commission members said the commission plans to meet monthly to compile factual information, and they are seeking independent technical guidance (including potential academic assistance from Wichita State) rather than relying solely on industry-provided materials. Commissioners discussed concerns about competition for water and electric infrastructure with agriculture and the county’s limited capacity for very large facilities.
Supporters said a temporary pause would allow staff and elected officials to evaluate environmental, infrastructure and fiscal trade-offs and to learn from other counties that have already considered similar applications. Several commissioners said they did not want to make an uninformed blanket rejection and preferred an evidence-based approach.
The resolution affects unincorporated Geary County only; the planning commission representative noted he had not yet coordinated with the city but expected the city to monitor the county’s action. The board said the moratorium can be repealed earlier if fact finding supports development, or it can be extended if more time is needed.
Action: the board approved the resolution establishing the temporary moratorium by voice vote; no roll-call tally was recorded in the transcript.
