Residents of La Pine, Oregon, have filed an initiative petition to establish noise and lighting standards for data centers operating within the city. The measure also requires annual public reporting of electricity usage, water usage, generator runtime, and the number of employees.
Community Concerns
The initiative seeks to reduce nuisance impacts that data centers have on surrounding communities and provide residents with greater transparency regarding resource consumption. The measure addresses concerns identified by residents, including noise, light pollution, and transparency regarding resource consumption.
The petition was prompted by strong community opposition to a previously proposed data center project. In May, members of South County Collective Action organized an initial response, which quickly grew into a community-wide effort that mobilized hundreds of residents to attend two City Council meetings and express their opposition. The City Council ultimately voted against moving forward with the project.
Signature gathering is expected to begin soon, with organizers intending to qualify the measure for the November ballot.
Original reporting: KTVZ (Central Oregon) — read the source article.
