Elmore County Data Center Moratorium Extension

WHEREAS hyperscale and tier 1-4 data centers impose extraordinary demands on Elmore County's power grid, water supply, and agricultural land base; and WHEREAS the Elmore County Board of Commissioners enacted a 182-day temporary moratorium on the acceptance and processing of permits for data center facilities on or about July 2, 2026, citing concerns over water use, noise, land impacts, and regulation, which moratorium is set to expire on or about December 31, 2026; and WHEREAS the rapid proliferation of data center campuses in industrial, commercial, agricultural, and overlay zoning districts threatens to displace productive agricultural land, consume scarce water resources from the Eastern Snake Plain Aquifer, and concentrate energy demand beyond what Mountain Home and the surrounding communities can sustainably support; and WHEREAS Idaho Code § 31-717 reserves to the people the right of direct legislation by initiative, requiring signatures equal to 20% of the qualified electors who voted in the last county general election to compel a binding vote; WE, the undersigned qualified electors of Elmore County, Idaho, hereby petition the Board of County Commissioners to extend the existing temporary moratorium on data center permits for an additional 180 days and demand the following: 1. An extension of the existing temporary moratorium for a period of 180 days on the approval of new building permits, site plans, and conditional use permits for hyperscale and tier 1-4 data center facilities within all industrial (M-1, M-2), commercial (C-1, C-2, C-3), agricultural (A-1, A-2), and overlay zoning districts in unincorporated Elmore County. 2. Prioritized protection of agricultural and public lands — no data center development shall be permitted on land zoned for agricultural use, within designated agricultural protection areas, or on public lands including parks, open space, and conservation easements, for the duration of the moratorium and thereafter until adequate impact studies are completed. 3. A comprehensive impact study, funded by the county, assessing cumulative effects on: (a) the Eastern Snake Plain Aquifer and surface water rights, (b) Idaho Power grid capacity and rate impacts on residential customers, (c) agricultural land conversion rates, and (d) community character and housing affordability in Mountain Home, Glenns Ferry, and surrounding communities. 4. Updated zoning ordinances that explicitly define hyperscale and tier 1-4 data centers as conditional uses subject to public hearing, environmental review, and agricultural-impact findings before any permit issuance resumes. 5. A public vote on any data center development exceeding 100 megawatts of contracted power demand, consistent with the community's right to direct legislation under Idaho Code § 31-717. --- Methodology: This petition's signature goal of 2,200 reflects the statutory threshold under Idaho Code § 31-717 — 20% of the 10,672 ballots cast in Elmore County in the November 2024 general election (2,134 legal minimum) — plus a 3% excess buffer (64 additional signatures) to account for signature invalidation during notary verification. Source: Idaho Legislature (§ 31-717) and VoteIdaho 2024 General Election results.