Reno's Moratorium Against Any New Data Centers Is Now In Place Until the End of August 2027

A moratorium on any new data centers within the city of Reno has been extended to August 31st 2027, after a motion by councilman Devon Reese was seconded by Naomi Duerr this evening, and carried through the Reno City Council 6-1.

Another modification to the initial plan of having the moratorium until just the end of the year was to enact regulations to ensure public welfare before it is lifted.

Reese looked around half smiling after announcing his late 2027 date, to the surprise of many, further explaining it was due to the next legislative cycle and the fact “government is very bad at moving quickly.”

Council member Brandi Anderson appeared to vote no initially, but then during the roll call clarified she was voting for the motion as well.

The only no vote was from Kathleen Taylor, who along with Reese, is one of two council members currently running for mayor. She was attacked directly by some public speakers, after previously voting against this moratorium process, and at one point appeared shaken, showing some of the documents she has gone through to base her decision on.

At one point, termed out, outgoing, Mayor Hillary Schieve said she wouldn’t mind an “indefinite moratorium” drawing cheers from those in assistance.

The voting followed hours and hours of public comment, almost all in opposition, with many asking for an outright ban on all data centers within city limits, stressing the need to protect the local environment in our high desert area.

B Fulkerson, a speaker who mentioned “gluttonous energy vampires,” when referring to data centers, had a sign with “Our City Our River Not Broligarchy’s AI Cooling Tank" attached to their back.

Many other public speakers spoke out against hearing council members mention a “fast track” process for new data center regulations while not hearing enough about an outright “ban.”

Council member Miguel Martinez later said maybe it should be to “expedite,” rather than “fast track,” while Anderson used the “robust regulation” terminology.

Tray Abney of the Nevada Datacenter Alliance spoke out against any moratorium and what he called “public anxiety.” One labor union representative also spoke in favor of data centers, while several union members said they were against their presence in our area.

During back and forths between council members before the public comments, Meghan Ebert said constituents in her Ward 4 often felt ignored, and were telling her this effort felt disingenuous as an alleged pre-election tactic which could eventually evaporate.

She didn’t directly name but alluded to fellow council member Reese, now running for mayor, who after previously approving local data center development has now been spending lots of energy in this moratorium push.

Two of his supporters on council Martinez and Mayor Schieve pushed back against the growing sense this was a pre-election tactic. Martinez and Schieve often vote in a similar way than Anderson, giving that block a four vote majority.

The lone council vote against setting this process in motion, council member Kathleen Taylor, also running for mayor, asked if a moratorium would have grandfathering effects on existing projects, and seemed relieved when the answer was no.

Many of the comments also included opposition to the Keystone Data Center currently being built in a highly visible urban area.

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