Owyhee County Hyperscale Data Center Moratorium

WHEREAS hyperscale and tier 1-4 data centers impose extraordinary demands on Owyhee County's power grid, water supply, and agricultural land base; 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 Snake River and its tributaries, and concentrate energy demand beyond what the county's rural infrastructure can sustainably support; and WHEREAS Owyhee County's economy is rooted in agriculture, ranching, and outdoor recreation along the Snake River and the Bruneau River, and the unchecked encroachment of data center campuses would irreversibly convert prime farmland and degrade the water quality and quantity on which these livelihoods depend; 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 Owyhee County, Idaho, hereby petition the Board of County Commissioners to enact a temporary moratorium ordinance and demand the following: 1. A temporary moratorium 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 Owyhee 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, conservation easements, and the Bruneau Sand Dunes and Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area, 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 Snake River and Bruneau River surface water rights and groundwater quality, (b) Idaho Power grid capacity and rate impacts on residential customers, (c) agricultural land conversion rates in Owyhee County's prime ranchland, and (d) community character and housing affordability in Marsing, Homedale, Murphy, 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 1,100 reflects the statutory threshold under Idaho Code § 31-717 — 20% of the 4,950 ballots cast in Owyhee County in the November 2024 general election (990 legal minimum) — plus a 3% excess buffer (30 additional signatures) to account for signature invalidation during notary verification. Source: Idaho Legislature (§ 31-717) and VoteIdaho 2024 General Election results.