We started the AI race. Now we’re going to win it.

PIMA COUNTY PAUSES NEW DATA CENTER PERMITS FOR 120 DAYS • Sep 23, 2026 The Pima County Board of Supervisors voted 3-2 to impose a 120-day moratorium on data center permits in unincorporated Pima County, Arizona. During the pause, the county will stop accepting or processing new permits while staff rewrite zoning rules for data centers. Updated rules will go to the Planning and Zoning Commission before returning to the board for adoption.

Oracle is preparing for the possibility of delays outside its control. Nothing more. Last week, Democratic gubernatorial nominee Deb Haaland said that she would immediately pause new large-scale data center proposals while lawmakers write statewide rules for the industry. Polymarket has her at a 95% chance of winning office. Project Jupiter was allowed to drill a new well before a formal public hearing, using an emergency exception. This bypassed the formal public hearing process, which community members were upset about. The New Mexico Supreme Court temporarily halted proceedings tied to the project’s emergency water well after legal challenges. The court later rejected those challenges and allowed the permitting process to resume at the beginning of September. Last week, Doña Ana County created a Community Monitoring Committee specifically for Project Jupiter. The county resolution cites continued concerns from residents over water, air, noise, pollution, and other environmental impacts, and calls for independent public information forums around the project, putting the project under a microscope. At Tuesday’s county meeting (9/22), the Mesilla Valley Economic Development Alliance presented the scale of Project Jupiter’s expected impact: 750 announced jobs, $50 billion in Phase 1 investment, and more than 2 million square feet of facilities, trying to remind the county how beneficial the project is for them. $ORCL is moving forward with Project Jupiter while the project is simultaneously going through permitting scrutiny, local monitoring, and a broader statewide debate over how New Mexico should regulate large data centers. I, too, would want to defer debt for things outside of my control. We have this whole timeline at regardingdatacenters.com.

YATES COUNTY POWER PLANT'S AI PIVOT DRAWS MORATORIUM PETITION • Sep 24, 2026 Greenidge Generation is converting its Torrey, New York power plant into an AI data center under the name Vulcan Infrastructure and Power. Seneca Lake Guardian says the site is already about 30% AI data center and has collected over 1,000 petition signatures urging a town moratorium. Town Supervisor Peter Martini says no formal proposal has been submitted and a moratorium isn't currently planned.

PAUSED: Manatee County, Florida imposed a 12 month moratorium on new data center permits, rezones and comprehensive plan applications starting Sept. 22.

US HOUSE PASSES BILL TO SHIELD RATEPAYERS FROM DATA CENTER COSTS • Sep 18, 2026 The US House of Representatives passed the Ratepayers Protection Act 417-3, letting state utility regulators decide whether tech companies must pay for power infrastructure needed for large data centers. The vote follows New York's year-long moratorium on data center construction while local governments develop regulations.

As we discussed in yesterdays expert interview on this. The permitting equation is a tough one. Can have all the computer and power secured but if the operator can’t build…. thediligencestack.com/p/expe…

TEXAS PERMIT FREEZE PUTS MAJOR BASTROP COUNTY DATA CENTER PROJECT ON HOLD • Sep 22, 2026 A proposed Pacifico Energy and BlackChamber Partners data center campus in Cedar Creek, Texas, is among the projects affected by Gov. Greg Abbott’s statewide halt on data center permitting. The roughly 2,842-acre project at 382 Earl Callahan Road has a pending TCEQ air registration for on-site natural gas generation, with filings identifying up to approximately 1.33 GW of maximum nominal generation capacity. Anthropic has been reported to be in discussions to lease the campus, though no agreement has been publicly confirmed. The project is currently delayed by the state permitting hold.

PENNSYLVANIA LEADERS REJECT STATEWIDE DATA CENTER MORATORIUM • Sep 23, 2026 Pennsylvania Senate Majority Leader Joe Pittman and House Speaker Joanna McClinton both rejected calls for a statewide data center moratorium. Pittman favors giving local governments control over data center development and cited transparency measures on power and water usage included in the state's latest budget. Governor Josh Shapiro signed an executive order this summer setting guardrails for data center development and ending fast track permitting.

MARATHON COUNTY, WISCONSIN APPROVES 12-MONTH DATA CENTER MORATORIUM • Sep 21, 2026 The Marathon County Board approved on Aug. 25 a 12-month moratorium on data center development in 18 townships governed by county zoning. The pause applies to facilities where data center use is primary or exceeds 5,000 square feet of gross floor area, while staff develop new zoning standards.

TEXAS HALTS DATA CENTER PERMITS PENDING GRID AND WATER AUDITS • Sep 22, 2026 Governor Greg Abbott has ordered the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to stop issuing data center permits until the Electric Reliability Council of Texas and the Texas Water Development Board finish auditing the industry's grid and water impact. The agency must report compliance by October 19, 2026. New requirements include covering electrical infrastructure costs, lowering residential bills, and reporting water and electricity usage.

FREDERICK COUNTY REJECTS DATA CENTER BENEFIT AGREEMENT • Sep 15, 2026 Frederick County Executive Jessica Fitzwater rejected a benefit agreement with data center developer Quantum Maryland, which had offered $110 million in community benefits for its 2,100-acre Frederick Digital Campus north of Adamstown, Maryland. Fitzwater also extended the county's moratorium on data center applications to July 1, 2027, citing hundreds of resident comments against the deal.

VIRGINIA FINES MICROSOFT DATA CENTER $2.5 MILLION FOR EMISSIONS BREACH • Sep 16, 2026 Virginia's state environmental agency fined a Microsoft data center in Leesburg nearly $2.5 million after a June 2025 substation failure forced 62 emergency engines to run for seven days, exceeding permitted limits for carbon monoxide, volatile organic compounds, and coarse and fine particulate matter. Microsoft will invest $2.4 million in an air quality monitoring project in Loudoun County, where the facility is located.

NORTH CAROLINA DENIES DUKE ENERGY GAS TURBINE NEAR AMAZON DATA CENTER • Sep 18, 2026 The North Carolina Utilities Commission has denied Duke Energy's request to build a $584 million natural gas turbine at its Sherwood H. Smith Energy Complex near Hamlet. Regulators said Duke had not proven the 255 megawatt project was needed or explained how customers would be protected from its costs. The plant sits near Amazon's planned $10 billion data center campus in Richmond County. Duke may reapply with more evidence on demand forecasts, costs and alternatives.

JUDGE SIDES WITH DATA CENTER DEVELOPER OVER CHATHAM COUNTY, NC • Sep 18, 2026 A North Carolina state trial court judge, John Morris, ruled that Eco TIP West can proceed with its 75-megawatt data center at Chatham County's Moncure megasite despite the county's February moratorium on new data centers. The company had spent $11 million on the project. The judge also awarded Eco TIP West attorney's fees, with damages to be decided later.

LOUDOUN COUNTY PAUSES NEW DATA CENTER APPLICATIONS FOR 12 MONTHS • Sep 18, 2026 The board of supervisors in Loudoun County, the data center capital of the world, voted 7-1 to enact an immediate 12-month pause on new data center applications. Officials plan to use the period to evaluate the impact of facilities on local residents and resources and revise regulations.

SCOTTISH PARLIAMENT BACKS PAUSE ON HYPERSCALE DATA CENTER APPROVALS • Sep 16, 2026 The Scottish Parliament approved amendments by the Scottish National Party and Scottish Labour stating no planning decisions on data centers over 50 megawatts should be made until national planning guidance is finalized. The Scottish government said full guidance will be published by the end of the year. Separately, new legislation will require full environmental impact assessments for hyperscale data center developments in Scotland.

VIRGINIA UNVEILS DATA CENTER ACCOUNTABILITY FRAMEWORK • Sep 18, 2026 Governor Abigail Spanberger announced new permitting, commercial and environmental controls on Virginia data centers, including a ban on non-disclosure agreements for projects of 25 megawatts or more. The framework also offers incentives for solar and wind backup power over natural gas or diesel generators. Part of the plan requires approval from state legislators next year.