Residents press court over debris removal, dredging permits and data-center development

Public commenters used the court's public-comment period to press for action on stream debris and to raise land-use concerns tied to regional industrial-authority activity. Richard (a resident) said rainwater is backing into his yard because of an approach or fill under a nearby bridge that he described as functioning like a dam; he asked the court to clear the creek. "I need what I need done. I need the creek cleaned out is one thing that under the bridge it had all kind of room for for the river to flow but they went in there and filled it up with big rocks," Richard said.

Elaine Tanner and others pressed for records and clarity about the regional industrial authority and whether the county can enact moratoria or other land-use protections against data-center developments. Court staff explained counties without planning and zoning have limited legal ability to enforce moratoria; staff and a law-center representative offered an upcoming public forum in Whitesburg on data-center impacts and said the court would share meeting information. The court also reviewed federal and state permitting constraints on dredging and said localized debris removal may be possible with Division of Water permits but large-scale dredging is generally controlled by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.