Post Tagged with: "Zoning In"

Reflections on One Year of Zoning In

Reflections on One Year of Zoning In

12 Months That Made One Thing Clear: Data Center Community Engagement Is No Longer Optional –Adam Waitkunas What’s Changed—and What Developers Must Do Next Twelve months ago, we launched Zoning In to track the fast-evolving intersection of data centers, land use, and community relations. In that time, the landscape has only grown hotter: opposition is more organized, hearing rooms are packed, and narratives are shifting to include transparency, ownership structures, private equity, and even debates […]

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Zoning In

Zoning In

This week’s Zoning In highlights some of the hottest flashpoints in the national data center debate: township denials in Michigan, strained emergency services in Ohio, calls for public forums in Oregon, a potential moratorium in St. Louis, and environmental justice concerns in Georgia and Alabama. Communities are increasingly framing these projects around issues of water, power, noise, transparency, and equity. At the same time, broader political currents are beginning to converge. On September 20, hundreds […]

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Adam Waitkunas Joins Data Center Richness Podcast to Discuss Data Center Community Engagement and Zoning In

Adam Waitkunas Joins Data Center Richness Podcast to Discuss Data Center Community Engagement and Zoning In

Milldam Public Relations President Adam Waitkunas recently joined The Data Center Richness Podcast to discuss Zoning In and one of the industry’s most pressing issues today: the growing wave of community pushback around data centers. In the episode, Adam and host Rich explore why controversies around new data center campuses are accelerating, the local concerns driving this opposition, and how developers can proactively engage with communities to build trust and reshape the narrative. As AI-driven […]

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Zoning In

Zoning In

This week’s update reveals the push-pull between data center growth and public oversight across the U.S. In Kentucky, Oldham County’s planning board is building a framework to regulate data centers more tightly. At the same time, West Virginia just passed a law that bypasses local zoning altogether to attract more projects. Meanwhile, power constraints in Pennsylvania have halted a long-rumored AWS development, and in Virginia, the battle continues over who should pay for infrastructure serving […]

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Zoning In

Zoning In

This week in Data Center Community Engagement and Regulations Senate Democrats Push Back on White House’s Data Center Fast-Tracking Plan A group of Senate Democrats is urging President Biden to rethink potential executive actions to expedite data center construction by bypassing environmental regulations. The proposed measures, designed to accelerate the development of AI-supporting data centers, could allow companies to circumvent clean air and water requirements. In a letter to the White House, Senators Sheldon Whitehouse […]

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Zoning In

Zoning In

Data center growth is driving economic change but sparking local resistance. Protests in Maryland, environmental pushback in Louisiana, and debates over cost-sharing in Ohio highlight the balance needed between development and sustainability. Dive deeper into these issues and more in this week’s report!  Data Center Growth and Its Transformative Impact on the U.S. Energy Landscape Data center growth is rapidly reshaping the U.S. energy and economic landscape, with projections indicating data centers will consume 5%-9% […]

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Zoning In

Zoning In

This week’s Zoning In covers recent key developments and controversies shaping the data center industry. From AEP Ohio’s agreement on interconnection rules to Bain’s study on data centers’ impact on electricity demand—it is projected to drive a 1% rise in customer bills through 2032. In Virginia, a professor’s investigation into NDAs with localities highlights the tension between development and public transparency. At the same time, Foreign Policy’s exploration of AI infrastructure showcases the geopolitical stakes […]

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Zoning IN

Zoning IN

Dominion Energy’s Long-Term Investment in Natural Gas Sparks Environmental Concerns in Virginia Dominion Energy recently released its 2024 integrated resource plan, which details its energy strategy through 2039. The plan underscores Dominion’s significant investments in natural gas infrastructure to meet rising energy demands while committing to clean energy projects like solar, offshore wind, and energy storage. Environmentalists, however, are critical of the company’s continued reliance on fossil fuels, especially in light of climate change and […]

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Zoning In

Zoning In

Data Center Challenges and Community Relations October 15, 2024 We’re excited to introduce a new addition to our content lineup: “Zoning In.” This weekly series informs the data center ecosystem of the latest local data center regulations and challenges in community relations nationwide. As data centers continue to garner mainstream coverage and residents deploy more sophisticated tactics and better organizing, these weekly updates will spotlight critical trends and challenges data centers encounter in different communities […]

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