Lincoln County Commission rejects data center moratorium
Residents press commissioners with concerns about upending agrarian way of life
Lincoln County’s data center debate turned hostile Tuesday night, with a speaker promising political retaliation to any of the five county commissioners who support them.
When an audience member interrupted from the floor, Commission Chair Tiffani Landeen threatened to clear the room.
After about two hours, commissioners rejected a proposed one-year moratorium on “AI hyperscale” data centers. The motion died without a second. The board then voted 3-2 to refer data center regulations to the county Planning and Zoning Commission.
Capitol chaos: Data center divides, missing senator spark political clash, South Dakota history
PIERRE — Political gamesmanship thrust simmering disputes around data centers, electricity generation, nicotine sales and a long-held constitutional standard in the South Dakota Legislature into the political spotlight this week.
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