Memphis Council Rejects Data Center Moratorium

The Memphis City Council rejected an ordinance that would have paused new data-center applications for up to 18 months while the city studied community impacts and developed regulations. The issue remains unresolved: other proposals were advancing through committees, and an amended measure with a potentially shorter moratorium was still due for consideration. Debate followed protests at an earlier meeting; five people previously barred from meetings attended after a federal judge ruled their ban notices unconstitutional, while the council imposed heightened security measures. Residents have raised concerns about pollution from gas-powered turbines at xAI’s Memphis facility and the broader impacts of energy-intensive data-center growth. Mayor Paul Young had ordered the development of recommendations for regulating data centers.