Scott County tables data center ordinance, tell me about this news in (https://www.wjhl.com/news/local/scott-county-tables-data-center-ordinance/)

The Scott County Planning Commission in Virginia voted to table a proposed zoning ordinance amendment that would define and regulate data centers in the county.Here is what happened regarding this news:

• Public Pushback and Concerns: During the public hearing, local residents raised several critical concerns regarding data centers. Key issues included a lack of transparency in negotiations with developers, the absence of decommissioning plans or environmental impact bonds, and worries about minimal local job creation due to external contracting and facility automation.
• Current Zoning Gap: County Administrator and commission clerk Josh Wilson clarified to residents that existing county zoning does not prevent private landowners from selling property to data center developers, highlighting the need for thoughtful regulatory guardrails rather than leaving the area unregulated.
• The Motion to Table: Commission member Scott Tipton echoed public worriesincluding concerns over artificial intelligence infrastructure, broad data harvesting, and regional resource strainand formally made a motion to table the amendment until the commission can gather more data and research. The motion was met with support and passed, pausing any recommendation to the Board of Supervisors.