By admin 
WASHINGTON, D.C. (WNCN) — With the increased need for data storage, tech companies are searching for new places to build the massive data centers that hold every search, streamed movie, cloud backup and AI-generated response—and several counties in North Carolina have already received proposals.
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Warren County does not have a data center proposal, but county leaders are already trying to answer the questions they hope they won’t have to answer under pressure later.
On July 7, the Warren County Planning Board voted for a 12-month moratorium, or temporary delay, on new data centers, giving county leaders time to study how these facilities could affect everything from land use to utilities, like water and energy, before any company tries to move in.
“We need to look more in-depth about all of those factors,” Zoning Director Mark Bloomer told CBS 17. “We want to look at ordinances from places that have already adopted regulations concerning data centers to see how they’re handling them.”
This response comes as communities across North Carolina are finding themselves at the center of a growing conversation around artificial intelligence. For some communities, the conversation is less about the technology itself and more about understanding what comes with it.
Questions about water use, electricity demand, noise and long-term infrastructure have led to months of debate in neighboring Edgecombe County, where residents recently opposed a proposed data center before the developer withdrew its plans.
For Kevin Wilson, chair and co-founder of Edgecombe Neighbors for Data Center Accountability, the experience showed just how important it is for communities to ask questions before decisions are made.
“We have to keep reminding ourselves we’re educating,” Wilson said. “People deserve to understand what’s being proposed and how it could affect their community.”
Wilson said his group will continue working with local leaders to strengthen zoning regulations, even after the project was withdrawn, because another proposal could come in the future.
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Michelle Lopes Maldonado, associate director of AI policy at the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF), said those conversations are becoming more common as companies race to build more data centers to keep up with the growing demand for AI.
But she said communities should not have to rely on speculation when looking at potential benefits and concerns.
“A lot of these things, people don’t necessarily know from an evidence-based position what is true and what is not true,” Lopes Maldonado said. “That’s why some communities are putting a pause. People are trying to do it thoughtfully and carefully.”
Instead of discouraging these types of discussions, Lopes Maldonado believes communities should focus on asking better questions.
Recent ITIF research argues that many of the concerns surrounding data centers can be addressed through consistent data reporting and newer technologies that reduce water consumption.
“What’s really important for our localities is to have better transparency around water usage,” Lopes Maldonado said. “Where does it come from? How are you using it? How much are you using? Those are the kinds of requirements communities can put into place.”
For Warren County leaders, that is exactly the point.
The county has not yet decided whether data centers belong there. Instead, officials say they are using this time to better understand the data center industry before making decisions that could shape the community for years to come.
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