Michigan City council pushes data center moratorium to July 2028

The city council of Michigan City introduced a new ordinance that would suspend the approval of new data center developments until July 31, 2028. The ordinance, which was tabled last month, explicitly excludes both phases of Google’s current development and gives the planning department a chance to weigh in on the project. Council member Bryant Dabney said the pause would let city officials evaluate the Google project before allowing more.

The sponsors of the original ordinance complained that they weren’t consulted about the new one. Council member Joseph Nelson called it disingenuous, saying, “I worked my butt off for this, me and Nancy [Moldenhauer] and a lot of good people,” Nelson said. Residents also voiced concerns about Google’s data center, including potential emissions from diesel generators and the storage of diesel fuel.

Just Transition Northwest Indiana Executive Director Ashley Williams opposed letting the moratorium end as soon as new regulations are adopted. “It pauses just long enough to create an illusion of action while the planning department skates in an M-3 Data Center zoning district that we know it’s been working on behind the scenes, without public knowledge or input up until this point,” Williams told council members. Since the ordinance wasn’t filed in time for the council to take official action Tuesday, a formal first reading is scheduled for the next meeting.

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