The eastern Iowa town of Palo near Cedar Rapids is setting down clear rules for data centers, but it’s less clear if the community will be getting one.
Palo leaders passed a contested data center ordinance Monday night. Google has been in talks with Palo and Linn County about developing a data center near the soon-to-be-resurrected Duane Arnold nuclear plant.
Palo councilmember Eric Van Kerckhove says the ordinance empowers the city.
Van Kerckhove says, “This ordinance gives Palo the ability to set the terms and ensure any development, if it moves forward, does so under rules written by Palo, for Palo.”
Some Palo residents, like Shelley Jacobus, don’t think the new rules are strong enough.
“We have one shot at this and one ordinance, and it needs to be solid,” Jacobus says. “There’s not an urgency. Google’s not going anywhere. They’ve invested too much money to bringing the Duane Arnold energy plant back online.”
The site in unincorporated Linn County could be annexed into Palo city limits, but Mayor Bryan Busch says the city won’t initiate annexation. Busch says they’d consider it if Google makes the request.
Linn County has an 18-month data center moratorium, but it’s considering an exemption for data centers that are accessories to nuclear plants.
(Eliza Billingham, Iowa Public Radio)