San Joaquin County officials plan to spend 10 more months evaluating requirements for data centers.
The Board of Supervisors was told earlier this week that staff needs to take a deeper look at the controversial issue.
But with the board short of the majority, a formal decision was put off until the Nov 17 meeting. At that time, the board also is expected to hear additional public testimony. The action takes a four-fifths majority of the board, and supervisors Steve Ding and Paul Canepa were absent.
The action follows a 45-day moratorium on data centers imposed by the board Oct. 6.
“At the end of the day, we need to hear from the public,” said Supervisor Robert Rickman.
The county ‘s action is running roughly parallel to the measure undertaken in Stockton.
As public concerns about data centers have grown, Stockton has become among the many cities that are reacting to them. The Stockton City Council deleted data centers from its three-year economic development plan and is conducting public “listening sessions” around the city.
In the county, the Board of Supervisors now doesn’t expect to get a full report until next June. There are currently no applications pending by companies wanting to build data centers in unincorporated areas of the county.
While county staff has taken a preliminary look at issues surrounding data centers, the deeper that analysts delve into them, the more questions that are being raised. Like other communities evaluating them around the country, there the obvious issues of electricity demand, water use and noise.
County staff say a more thorough report will take a deeper look at some of the nuances. One, for instance, is whether a fire in massive battery storage units that might be used by power some of the facilities could overwhelm firefighters in small rural fire districts .
“Before we are put in a position to make a decision we need to be educated,” said Supervisor Mario Gardea.