To: City of Warrenton Board of Aldermen, Mayor, Planning & Zoning Commission
 From: Residents and stakeholders of Warrenton and greater Warren County
 Subject: Temporary pause and stronger local rules for high-impact data/energy facilities

Warrenton’s north-of-I-70 growth corridor has been positioned for heavy industrial energy use (Split Rail Solar & Rootbeer 345-kV substation on the regional grid; subsequent private substation and high-load user interest/200MW data load). These decisions were driven largely at the regional/state level. However, locally, annexation and rezoning placed large tracts into M-1 Light Industrial without modern, data-center-specific safeguards. Communities similar to ours are now adopting tailored rules (special permits, water/electric caps, noise/run-time limits, and transparency) to protect residents while preserving fair economic development. As a community, Warrenton and Warren County residents demand the same protections. Therefore, Warrenton shall adopt independent, locally enforceable standards to ensure development does not harm community resources.

Our requests:

Adopt a 6–12 month targeted moratorium-
Pause acceptance/approval of data centers and high-impact energy/data infrastructure citywide while Warrenton updates its code (definitions, siting, water/energy limits, noise, transparency). Many cities use a short moratorium to write good rules; St. Louis is considering one now. 

Require a Special Use Permit (SUP) for data centers in all districts-
 No “by-right” approval. Loudoun County (the nation’s data-center capital) is moving data centers into a legislative/special-exception process so impacts are reviewed case-by-case. DeKalb County (GA) is doing the same via text amendment.
Local Permitting Required
No HEDIF may operate without a City Resource Use Permit.
No Major Water Withdrawal may occur without a City Water Permit.
No Discharge may occur without a City Discharge Permit.
No Backup Generator Facility may be installed without a City Air & Noise Permit.

Water protections and disclosure (no groundwater draw without City approval)-
 a) Prohibit groundwater wells for data centers; require connection to public system where practicable, with full water-use disclosure and conservation/heat-rejection plan.
 b) For any non-municipal supply, require City approval plus caps, monitoring, quarterly public reporting, and enforcement. 
The operator assumes full responsibility for any harm to private or municipal wells. The City bears no liability.
Operators must post a performance bond or insurance adequate to cover damages.
No discharge may contain concentrations above Safe Drinking Water Act maximum contaminant levels (MCLs)

Electric demand caps and grid-stability conditions-
 Set baseline maximum continuous demand (e.g., 5–10 MW by-right) in M-1; larger loads require SUP + mitigation (proof of capacity, peak-shaving, on-site storage/renewables, demand-response limits), require interconnection studies/letters from the utility and regional operator before approval. 

Air & noise safeguards for backup generators-
 Incorporate federal limits into local permits: EPA RICE NESHAP/NSPS set run-time and emission controls for stationary engines; EPA clarified limited non-emergency dispatch (often called the “50-hour rule”). Locally cap test windows, require intake/exhaust abatement, and set site-line noise limits at property lines.

Transparency & accountability-
 • Mandatory Project Factsheet (peak MW, water (MGD), sewer, heat/air, trucks, construction schedule).
 • Quarterly public reports (actual draw vs. approved caps, any exceedances).
 • Community benefits & emergency coordination (e.g., fund well-monitoring, heat-mitigation, emergency power/noise plans with public notice).
 • Prohibit tax abatements, subsidies, or reductions in property or sales taxes for data centers or related infrastructure. Corporations must pay their fair share, not shift costs to local families.

• Require that any new infrastructure or utility expansion serving data centers be funded by the corporations themselves, not by residential ratepayers or taxpayers.

Comprehensive Plan alignment & siting-
 Confirm each application aligns with the 2016 Comprehensive Plan and its transportation/utility goals; update the plan to explicitly address data-center siting, buffers, and cumulative impacts before approving large campuses. 

Public process commitments-
 Guarantee early notice to adjacent owners and affected neighborhoods; require neighborhood meetings before formal filing; publish all technical submissions online.

This petition is not anti-technology. It’s a call for fair, modern, enforceable rules so any high-impact facility pays its own way, minimizes risk, and earns public trust.