Letcher County KY two-year data center moratorium (2026)
Letcher County, KY — Fiscal Court Orders Two-Year Halt on New Data Centers and Requires Environmental Impact Studies (July 20, 2026)
Letcher County, KY · Letcher County, KY Fiscal Court two-year data center moratorium (July 20, 2026)
- Status
- In effect
- Expires
- July 20, 2028
- Applies to
- Data center developers in Letcher County
- Enforced by
- Letcher County Fiscal Court
Letcher County in eastern Kentucky voted to stop new data centers from being built for two years and to require environmental impact studies before any future project can go ahead. Residents had raised concerns about a proposed gas-fired power plant meant to serve AI data centers.
Who is protected: Letcher County residents and environment
Legal detail
Letcher County, KY Fiscal Court action of July 20, 2026 (unanimous): two-year moratorium on construction of new data centers countywide plus a requirement that environmental impact studies be completed before any future data center project proceeds. Context: resident opposition to a proposed natural-gas-fired power plant intended to supply AI data centers. Instrument type (ordinance reading vs. order) not stated in source.
Key facts
| Jurisdiction | Letcher County, KY |
|---|---|
| Level | County |
| Strength | Moderate |
| Enacted | July 20, 2026 |
| Citation | Letcher County, KY Fiscal Court two-year data center moratorium (July 20, 2026) |
| Private right of action | No, agency enforcement only |
| Penalties | Construction not permitted during moratorium |
| Topics | data-center siting and energy · government use of AI |
| News report | County orders two-year halt on data centers — The Mountain Eagle (Whitesburg) |
Related data-center siting and energy rules elsewhere
- Superior WI Data Center Moratorium (1-year) · In effect
- Dane County WI Hyperscale Data Center Moratorium · In effect
- Madison WI Data Center Moratorium (1-year) · In effect
- Manitowoc County WI Data Center Moratorium · In effect
- WA SB 5982 (Data Center / Clean Energy) · In effect
- Dayton OH data center moratorium (180-day, Apr 2026) · In effect
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