Cheyenne Resident Circulating Petition For Data Center Moratorium

Cheyenne resident Heather Madrid is circulating a petition for a 12-18 month moratorium on new data centers.

You can hear the interview in the audio file attached to the article below.

Petition Would Not Affect Existing Facilities

Madrid says her goal is not to shut down all data centers, and the petition would not affect existing data facilities. But she says a moratorium would allow for the study of the facilities and their potential impacts and possibly rewriting regulations to catch up to the explosion in the number of data centers in the Cheyenne area.

Madrid says city councilman Larry Wolfe recently told her that the total of the facilities in the area, including both new and proposed data centers, could end up around 70 if all the proposed centers actually open.

It's worth noting that Cheyenne City Councilman Mark Moody has introduced a proposal for a 12-month moratorium on data centers in Cheyenne. That proposal, which is separate from Madrid's petition drive, is slated to be heard by the council's Public Service's Committee next Monday, May 18 at noon. The ordinance would need to clear three readings before the full city council before a decisive vote on third reading.

Madrid says her petition will be available for people to sign at several upcoming meetings:

"Important meetings: we will be at every meeting 30 minutes early to allow for time to sign the petition for a temporary moratorium on future data centers. 

5/14-Planning Commission 3:30pm Commissioners Boardroom, Historic Courthouse (mancamp).

5/16-Ward 3 Council and Coffee 9:00am Dazbog on Pershing. 

5/16-Petition signing 3:00-5:00pm Western Hills Park by the playground.

5/18-Public Service Committee meeting 12:00pm Municipal Building, City Council Chamber (1st moratorium ordinance hearing).

5/19-Laramie County Commissioners meeting 3:30pm Commissioners Boardroom, Historic Courthouse (mancamp final decision). 

5/26-City Council meeting 6:00pm Municipal Building, City Council Chamber (2nd moratorium ordinance hearing).""