Actions taken by the Memphis City Council at its upcoming regular meeting will likely impact the future of data centers and their regulation.
Several data center ordinances are up for a third reading on October 6th. Among these include a proposal for a moratorium impacting data center developments within the city.
During a previous meeting, council chair Jana Swearengen-Washington said the ordinance is not a “ban” but a pause. She said it was not a rejection of economic developments, but a way for the city and community to have “time and a voice.”
“The moratorium is a temporary pause intended to give the City time to study the issues, engage the community, assess potential impacts, and develop permanent regulations for large-scale data centers and high-density computing facilities,” council member JB Smiley Jr. said in a post.
The ordinance’s third and final vote was moved to the October 6th meeting, after being scheduled for the September 15th meeting.
Groups such as Indivisible Memphis have voiced their support for the moratorium ahead of the council’s vote. The group will host a rally at 3 p.m. before the council’s regular meeting.
“Memphis belongs to Memphis — not Elon Musk,” the group said in a social media post. “Come make sure City Council hears it loud and clear.”
Environmental justice advocate Richard Massey stressed the importance of a moratorium in hopes of protecting marginalized communities. He noted a history of environmental racism in Southwest Memphis and said the presence of data centers in the community continues a pattern of injustices.
“[Data centers] are churning out emissions, disrupting folks’ quality of life with piercing noise, and are drawing millions of gallons of water from the [Memphis Sand] Aquifer,” Massey said.
“We need a data center moratorium so we can close the floodgates and effectively put real safeguards in place that protect our most vulnerable communities.”
