PIMA COUNTY, ARIZONA · DATA CENTERS
What happened: Pima County supervisors voted 3–2 on Tuesday, September 22, to pause new data center development in unincorporated areas for 120 days while staff write zoning standards, KJZZ’s Alisa Reznick reported. An amendment limited the pause to projects that had not yet applied for permits.
Claim: The resolution states that data centers produce “imminent negative public health impacts,” the Arizona Daily Star’s Hannah Cree reported.
Check: The county health review behind that language, prepared with Johns Hopkins researchers, is a framework, not a formal health impact assessment. It maps ways data centers could affect neighbors, but notes how little direct research exists on people living near them and does not claim proximity causes disease. Supervisor Rex Scott, who voted no, said the resolution “paints with far too broad a brush,” Arizona Luminaria’s Stephanie Casanova reported.
Concern: Water use, generator emissions, noise and heat are legitimate questions in a drought-stressed desert. Zoning standards are a reasonable place to answer them.
Outcome: Project Blue is unaffected. KJZZ and the Star reported that pending applications, including Project Gravel near Sahuarita, are exempt; AZPM described Gravel’s status as unclear. Draft code language is expected by December 15.
Location Decision takeaway
A pause to write rules before applications arrive can be sound policy. Its stated justification should match its evidence; overstatement invites challenge and makes eventual standards easier to dismiss. Developers should expect site-specific questions on cooling water, backup generators and noise.
Original reporting: Alisa Reznick, KJZZ, September 23, 2026. Additional reporting: Hannah Cree, Arizona Daily Star; Stephanie Casanova, Arizona Luminaria, September 23, 2026; Kieran Hadley, AZPM, September 23, 2026.