The Greensboro City Council passed a 180-day moratorium Tuesday on new data centers with electrical demand exceeding 10 megawatts. The length of the pause, which council will use to establish new ordinances related to data centers, is longer than the originally proposed 120 days but far short of the 32 months for which many residents have advocated.
The vote was 8-0, with Mayor Pro Tem Denise Roth recusing herself.
The council split 5-4 against a moratorium last month before reversing itself and unanimously voting to craft a targeted 120-day moratorium, which they expanded to 180-days after public input. This week, as momentum against data centers continues to build in North Carolina and nationwide, speakers at public hearings Monday and Tuesday said that is not long enough…