Reporting by Erica Van Buren, Augusta Chronicle
Residents and other concerned citizens made their voices heard at Tuesday’s Augusta Commission meeting, speaking out against a draft ordinance governing data centers and inspiring the commission to extend a data center moratorium in Augusta.
Data centers typically are large facilities that house computer servers and provide the extensive processing power required for artificial intelligence, or AI. Augusta officials are considering a data center ordinance to establish a framework for future development and to examine potential impacts on residents.
Courtney Harris spoke against the development of data centers during public comment, citing rising water and energy bills.
“While I appreciate the move to vote on whether to extend the data center moratorium, I question why the development of data centers here was a discussion rather than a hard no,” Harris said. “Beyond the fact that most public sentiment has been against the development of data centers in our communities, community members are already questioning skyrocketing energy bills.”
Harris also expressed concerns about potential global impacts.
“We often take on human exceptionalism in these discussions without considering other losses of life and habitat,” she said. “We forget that we, too, are part of an ecosystem. When the water runs out for wildlife, it will also run out for us.”
The proposed ordinance establishes standards intended to encourage investment while ensuring new development aligns with the city’s long-term planning goals, according to the City of Augusta website.
The ordinance includes standards addressing:
- Appropriate zoning districts for data center development.
- Minimum setbacks and buffers from residential neighborhoods and sensitive land uses.
- Site design, landscaping, and architectural compatibility.
- Noise, lighting, and visual impact mitigation.
- Utility coordination and infrastructure capacity.
- Emergency access and public safety requirements.
- Environmental performance and stormwater management.
- Ongoing operational standards and compliance monitoring.
Commissioners vote to extend data center moratorium in Augusta
Augusta commissioners unanimously declined to move forward with proposed data center regulations, instead extending the city’s moratorium for another 60 days. The extension will give city officials time to collect public input and study how other communities are navigating their data center facilities.
District 1 Commissioner Jordan Johnson said there’s too much at stake.
“I don’t think that we have a clear understanding of and also in the ordinance that’s been presented,” said Johnson. “It creates some unintended consequences for telecommunications companies and things in that nature. So I would like to see this moratorium extended until after this revision is done. We need to make sure that we get this right the first time.”
District 5 Commissioner Don Clark said community engagement is key.
“This is what engagement looks like when folks are getting informed about something such as this,” said Clark. “This body of leaders is not stating one way or the other what we’re proponents of outside of creating protections for the community, creating regulatory guidance that we can determine what fits and what doesn’t fit for this community. The staff has been working very hard on trying to make sure that they cover all the bases to present something to us, but also to the community.”
This reporting content is supported by a partnership with Journalism Funding Partners.
Erica Van Buren is the climate change reporter for The Augusta Chronicle, part of the USA TODAY Network. Connect with her at EVanBuren@usatodayco.com or on X: @EricaVanBuren32.
This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle.
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