Written Comment DEADLINE for Grant County Data Center Ordinance!

DO THIS IMMEDIATELY!

NO DATA CENTERS IN GRANT COUNTY!

Written comments may be emailed to Zoning Officer Steve Berkner at steve.berkner@grantcountysd.us

or mailed to:

Zoning Officer Steve Berkner
210 East 5th Avenue
Milbank, SD 57252

The official notice states that comments must be received on or before noon on August 7, 2026.

What Counts as a Comment?

Three or four sentences is enough. Include:

• Who you are
• Where you live
• What concerns you
• What you are asking the Commission to do

Your written comment becomes part of the permanent public record, whether or not you attend the August 10 hearing.

Issues Identified in the Draft

• Water protections apply only to facilities exceeding 10 MW of IT load.
• The water limit uses a Water Usage Effectiveness ratio rather than establishing a fixed total-gallon cap.
• Compliance is measured as an annual average, which may hide periods of heavy summer water use.
• The proposed setback language uses “and/or,” potentially allowing the 50-foot property-boundary provision to satisfy the requirement.
• The overnight noise provision permits temporary increases above 45 dBA.
• Financial assurance for water-supply impacts is described as something approval “may” require rather than something it “shall” require.
• One storage provision still contains the unfinished bracketed range “[24–72] hours.”
• The proposed data-center ordinance and the proposed 765 kV transmission project are advancing in Grant County during the same period.

Requested Action

We are requesting:

• A stronger and more protective data-center ordinance
• A standing citizen committee with a formal role in drafting and reviewing county rules

Grant County Commissioners

• William Tostenson — term ends 2026
• Mike Mach — term ends 2026
• Roger Hoff — term ends 2026
• William Street — term ends 2028
• Doug Stengel — term ends 2028

County Administrator

Kevin Owen
Phone: (605) 438-5300
Email: Kevin.Owen@grantcountysd.us

Agenda-item requests are due the Thursday before a meeting.

Grant County Office

210 East 5th Avenue
Milbank, SD 57252
Phone: (605) 432-6711

Planning & Zoning

Phone: (605) 432-7580

Zoning Officer

Steve Berkner
Email: steve.berkner@grantcountysd.us