The Reno City Council extended a pause on data center approvals on Monday as it considers how to amend city code to include regulations for future tech development.
Councilmembers voted 6-1 in favor of the moratorium on conditional use permits for AI data centers through Aug. 31, 2027. The moratorium cannot be lifted before then without an ordinance that would change city code or evidence that existing regulations are sufficient in protecting public health.
Councilmember Kathleen Taylor, the lone vote against the data center moratorium last month and a mayoral candidate endorsed by Gov. Joe Lombardo, was again the negative vote on Monday. Last month, even with no new data centers in the development pipeline, Reno became the first city in Nevada to approve a 30-day pause on possible approvals.
Officials expressed some hesitance before approving the longer moratorium, namely that the Nevada Legislature could mandate further amendments to city code when it meets next year. But with a primary election set for June 9, some suggested candidates are hoping to capitalize on a hot-ticket issue, though most agreed that sentiment was false.
“There’s a real fear that the will of the body will change, and we will continue on with just the (conditional use permit) process for data centers,” Councilmember Meghan Ebert said. “Don’t shoot the messenger.”
In a somewhat rowdy, eight-hour special meeting, dozens of residents, environmental activists, union stewards, political candidates and tribal members shared a diverse array of opinions on what has become one of the nation’s most divisive environmental issues.
To some, a moratorium is akin to hanging a sign over the city that big tech isn’t welcome. The louder majority, at minimum, supports guardrails to data centers’ massive power and water demands, with many calling for an outright ban.
City staff said a ban could be incorporated into future regulations, but councilmembers appeared wary of endorsing one in their comments.
A barrage of views
Tension ran high at the meeting. One off-color comment directed at Taylor prompted Mayor Hillary Schieve to convene a 15-minute recess and urge for decorum.
Taylor later addressed the criticism, saying she responded to each and every call and text she received following her previous vote. Ever since, Taylor said she has met with industry representatives, researchers, utility regulators and her constituents.
“I will support every single regulation that is brought to us to protect our resources, and I will be consistent in my decision to not support a moratorium,” Taylor said. She did not say why she is maintaining her opposition to a moratorium.
Three workers unions spoke against the item on the agenda, lamenting potential job losses for Northern Nevada. One of them, Jacob Haas of the electrician union IBEW Local 401, said he still understands the community’s concerns.
“We understand the concerns being raised and recognize the importance of getting this right for the long-term future of Reno,” Haas said. “However, a moratorium of that length also sends a broader message that Reno is closed for business.”
Others were even more adamant.
Tray Abney, of the pro-industry Nevada Data Center Alliance, called the moratorium a half-baked attempt to impose special rules on an industry that will take its tax dollars elsewhere should this move forward.
The city’s existing review process is sufficient, Abney said, and experts should be at the table guiding policy.
“Targeted discrimination against one industry is not good policy,” Abney said. “Reno should not become the city that mistakes a social media trend for a planning document.”
Most in opposition
One union construction worker, Marge Mirsky, said union representatives often don’t represent the opinions of all members. In addition to fears about the environment, Mirsky said increased competition for work is a concern once data centers are built and operational.
“There’s far more demand than there is supply, but what happens when that demand goes away?” Mirsky said. “What happens when the local industry has double the amount of workers and there’s the same amount of local work that there was before the data centers? The boom-and-bust in construction is a reality.”
For hours, community members discussed the wide-reaching impacts of data centers, from strain on the energy grid, potential excess water use, carbon emissions of backup diesel generators, air pollution and more.
Autumn Harry, a Pyramid Lake Paiute tribal member, has founded the Water Over Data Alliance advocacy group, which holds that no data centers should be built or operated anywhere in the Truckee River watershed.
“I see data centers as another form of water theft,” Harry said. “It’s another form of land theft, and our people are continuing to be impacted by these decisions.”
Contact Alan Halaly at ahalaly@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlanHalaly on X.
