Memphis is considering implementing a temporary moratorium on data centers.
The Memphis City Council will discuss an ordinance in executive session at its meeting on Tuesday, August 18th, about a temporary ban on “ the acceptance, processing, approval, and
issuance of zoning, land use, building, and other associated infrastructure permits for data
center developments within the City of Memphis.”
During an executive session, the public will not be able to hear what the city council is discussing about the potential ban because this portion of the meeting is not open to the public.
Memphis currently has 13 data centers within its city limits, including xAI’s Colossus 1 and Colossus 2.
If Memphis does implement a temporary ban on data centers, it would join other local governments across the state in doing so. The state’s most populous city, Nashville, has seen its city council implement zoning restrictions and a temporary moratorium on data centers until December 1st.
Nashville’s city council approved the use of eminent domain by Mayor Freddie O’Connell to seize land next to the Nashville Zoo to prevent a data center from going in next to it. DC BLOX, which owns the land, filed a lawsuit against the city over its actions.
Other local governments, including Coffee County, Knox County, Hamilton County, Wilson County, and the City of Knoxville, have placed temporary bans on data centers. The City of St. Joseph and Hawkins County have banned data centers.
State Senator Heidi Campbell (D-Nashville) is working on legislation to allow local governments to authorize new data centers within their jurisdictions.
State Representative Justin Pearson (D-Memphis), who is running for Tennessee’s 9th Congressional District, said people who build data centers are a “threat to humanity.”
“What I am witnessing is a computer being given more care and concern than a human by elected officials, by corporations, by leadership and by the United States federal government,” Pearson told German-owned Politico.
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Zachery Schmidt is the digital editor of The Star News Network. Email tips to Zachery at [email protected].
Photo “Memphis City Council” by Memphis City Council.
That’s right! Go get ’em. Would not want to have anything built in Memphis that might improve the city.