Committee member proposes two‑year moratorium on data centers to study aquifer and grid impacts

Claro Carter, a Land Use Committee member, told the committee on March 9 that he has drafted a two‑year moratorium on data center development and will submit it for placement on the County Board agenda.

Carter said the moratorium "would be a two year moratorium to give the County time to do more research on possible affects to the Mahomet Aquifer and the power grid." Committee members asked whether the draft had been reviewed by the State's Attorney; Carter said it had not, and several members said the State's Attorney review should occur before County Board action. Zoning Administrator Elizabeth Weikle told the committee that the RPC is reviewing data-center issues and that the RPC recommended considering a moratorium similar to Champaign County's.

The committee's minutes record that Carter will submit the moratorium to the county clerk to be placed on the full County Board agenda. The moratorium as described is a proposal at the committee stage; no formal county moratorium was adopted at the committee meeting and no vote of the full board had occurred as of the March 9 meeting.