Why it matters:
Data centers are becoming one of Nevada’s fastest-growing industries. They also require significant amounts of electricity, land, and—depending on the cooling technology, water. As communities weigh the economic benefits alongside concerns about infrastructure, public health, and environmental impacts, several local governments have begun pausing new development while they consider new regulations. These discussions are expected to influence legislation during the upcoming session. 

February 2025

Reno declines to adopt data center regulations

The Reno City Council voted against adopting new standards regulating issues such as:

• Water consumption
• Energy demand
• Noise
• Community impacts

At the time, data centers continued to be regulated similarly to warehouse developments. 

Throughout 2025

Rapid growth accelerates

Northern Nevada continued attracting major data center investments because of:

• Available industrial land
• Tax incentives
• Existing fiber infrastructure
• Access to regional power

Multiple new projects received local approvals, increasing public concern about cumulative impacts on neighborhoods and utilities. 

Spring 2026

Nevada Legislature studies the issue

During interim legislative committee hearings, lawmakers heard testimony from:

• Local governments
• Utility representatives
• Environmental organizations
• Industry representatives
• Community advocates

Key concerns included:

• Electric grid capacity
• Water use
• Land use planning
• Tax incentives
• Local control
• Long-term economic benefits versus infrastructure costs

The hearings signaled that data center policy is likely to become a major legislative issue in 2027. 

May 14, 2026

Reno adopts Nevada’s first data center moratorium

The Reno City Council voted 6–1 to temporarily stop accepting new data center permit applications.

The pause was intended to give city staff time to develop regulations addressing:

• Appropriate locations
• Infrastructure impacts
• Energy demand
• Community compatibility

This made Reno the first Nevada city to enact a data center moratorium. 

June 1–2, 2026

Moratorium extended through August 2027

Following extensive public testimony, Reno voted to extend the moratorium until August 31, 2027, or until permanent regulations are adopted.

City officials committed to working with regional partners and the public to develop long-term policies. 

May–June 2026

Humboldt County begins its own process

County commissioners advanced a temporary moratorium while drafting zoning regulations specifically for data centers.

Officials emphasized the need to establish clear standards before additional projects move forward. 

June 2026

Henderson considers a temporary moratorium

The Henderson City Council introduced an ordinance that would temporarily halt new data center permit applications while evaluating:

• Water consumption
• Energy infrastructure
• Community impacts
• Future development standards

The proposal reflects growing concern that Southern Nevada should establish policies before additional large facilities are approved. 

June 2026

Clark County approves expansion while debate continues

Clark County approved an expansion of an existing Switch data center after commissioners concluded many public concerns raised did not apply to that specific project because it used renewable energy and closed-loop cooling.

The hearing nevertheless demonstrated growing public concern about:

• Electric demand
• Water use
• Environmental impacts
• Job creation
• Future growth

It also highlighted that different Nevada jurisdictions are taking different approaches. 

Looking Ahead: 2027 Nevada Legislative Session

Lawmakers are expected to consider statewide policies addressing questions such as:

• Should Nevada establish statewide siting standards?
• How should data centers pay for new electric infrastructure?
• Should water use requirements differ by cooling technology?
• Should local governments retain primary authority?
• How should tax incentives be structured?
• How can Nevada balance economic development with community and environmental impacts?

The conversation has shifted from whether Nevada should prepare for rapid data center growth to how that growth should be managed. Local governments are increasingly using temporary moratoriums as planning tools while they develop long-term regulations, and the Legislature will likely be asked to determine whether statewide standards are needed. 

UPDATE: Henderson decides against moratorium, and will explore a code change.

Use this printable page to help people find ELCA advocacy tools! At a meeting, on a table, wherever – QR codes and urls can be a shortcut to connecting! Thanks for sharing

We’ve all seen those books titled [Topic] for Dummies, the kind that promise to teach you just enough to understand a complicated subject. When it comes to Nevada public policy, you don’t need to buy a book. One of the best resources is already available to every Nevadan, free of charge.

The Nevada Legislative Counsel Bureau Research Division serves as the nonpartisan research arm of the Nevada Legislature. Its mission is to provide legislators with accurate, objective, and well-researched information so they can make informed decisions on behalf of the people of Nevada. The good news is that these same resources are available to every member of the public.

As the 84th Nevada Legislative Session begins in 2027, there has never been a better time to become a more informed and engaged citizen.

Start by visiting the Nevada Legislature website. From there, explore the Research Division and the Research Library. You’ll find an impressive collection of research briefs, issue papers, fact sheets, legislative histories, reports submitted to the Legislature, and searchable databases. Whether you’re interested in housing, education, elections, health care, behavioral health, water, energy, transportation, or public safety, you’ll discover reliable, nonpartisan information prepared by professional policy analysts.

The Research Division’s publications are especially helpful if you’re looking for a quick overview of an issue before contacting your legislators or following a bill. Their fact sheets and issue papers explain complex policy topics in plain language and provide valuable background for understanding legislation and public debate.

The Legislative Counsel Bureau exists primarily to support Nevada’s lawmakers, but its work belongs to all Nevadans. Your tax dollars fund this research, and it represents one of the most trustworthy sources of information available on state government and public policy. In an age when misinformation can spread rapidly, access to objective, evidence-based information is more valuable than ever.

As people of faith, we are called not only to care for our neighbors but also to participate thoughtfully in the public life of our communities. The ELCA social statement Church in Society: A Lutheran Perspective reminds us:

“God works through the family, education, the economy, the state, and other structures necessary for life in the present age… Christians also exercise their calling by being wise and active citizens. Christians need to be concerned for the methods and content of public deliberation.”

Being an informed citizen is one way we live out that calling. Before contacting your legislators, testifying on a bill, or discussing an issue with friends and neighbors, take advantage of the outstanding resources available through the Legislative Counsel Bureau. Learning more about the issues facing Nevada equips all of us to advocate more faithfully and more effectively for the common good.

When we think about elections, it’s easy to focus on the race for governor or Congress. But some of the most important decisions affecting our daily lives are made in the Nevada Legislature.

In 2026, a handful of competitive Assembly and Senate races could determine who controls Carson City in 2027. That means these elections will shape what bills are introduced, which proposals receive hearings, how state resources are prioritized, and what policies ultimately reach the governor’s desk.

For people of faith, civic engagement isn’t about political parties—it’s about loving our neighbors and seeking the common good.

The decisions made during the next Legislative Session will influence issues that matter deeply to Lutheran Engagement and Advocacy in Nevada:

• Affordable housing
• Hunger and food security
• Health care access
• Free, fair, and accessible elections
• Creation Care
• Welcoming immigrants and refugees

As Jeremiah reminds us:

“Seek the welfare of the city… for in its welfare you will find your welfare.” (Jeremiah 29:7)

As Election Day approaches, take time to learn about the candidates in your legislative district, encourage others to vote, and continue building relationships with those elected to serve. Democracy doesn’t end when ballots are counted, it continues through faithful engagement.

The 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence invited many of us to look back — to remember the nation’s founding promises, to give thanks for real gifts, and to tell the truth about the people excluded from those promises. But now that the celebration has passed, the more urgent question is not only what we remember. It is what we will build.

For Lutherans, the work ahead is not nostalgia. It is vocation. We are called to live as neighbors, citizens, voters, advocates, servants, and truth-tellers in a complicated public life. We can honor the best ideals of our nation by asking how our communities, laws, budgets, and public choices can better reflect the dignity of every person.

LAMA’s earlier reflection on the Declaration of Independence spoke of gratitude for the Declaration’s vision of equality, rights, consent of the governed, and resistance to tyranny, and of humility, because those promises were never extended equally to all. Enslaved people, Indigenous peoples, women, immigrants, and many others were excluded from the freedom the document proclaimed. That history is not just a past-tense concern. It asks something of us now.

The Arizona Center for Economic Progress made a similar point as America250 approached: Arizona’s story must include all of us. Our state has been shaped not only by the wealthy and powerful, but also by working families, immigrants, teachers, caregivers, small business owners, Tribal communities, faith communities, and neighbors organizing from the bottom up. If our public celebrations tell a story of liberty while our public budgets leave families without a fair chance to thrive, then our story remains unfinished.

That is where people of faith come in.

The question ahead is not whether churches should care about public life. Our neighbors’ lives are shaped by public decisions every day: whether a child has enough to eat, or a senior can see a doctor; whether a family can afford rent, or a student can learn safely; whether a worker can earn a living wage, or a migrant is treated with dignity; or whether every eligible voter can participate without fear or obstruction.

Faithful civic engagement begins with listening. Who is being left out of the story? Whose voices are missing from the room where decisions are made? What would public policy look like if it were shaped not by fear, scarcity, or the interests of the powerful, but by the well-being of all?

For LAMA, the next chapter calls us to recommit to public witness rooted in love of neighbor. That means advocating for food security and a Farm Bill that protects SNAP. It means defending Medicaid/AHCCCS and access to health care. It means supporting housing and homelessness solutions, public education, immigrant welcome, voting access, fair taxation, care for creation, and budgets that invest in people rather than deepen inequality.

It also means practicing democracy as a discipline of faith. We can register voters, learn about candidates and ballot measures, attend town halls, request meetings with lawmakers, write letters, testify at the Capitol, use Arizona’s Request to Speak system when the Legislature is in session, and invite our congregations into respectful conversation about the common good. None of this requires everyone in the church to agree on every policy detail. It does require us to remember that disengagement is not neutrality when neighbors are harmed.

The ELCA’s social statement Faith and Civic Life: Seeking the Well-being of All reminds us that civic participation is part of our Christian calling. Lutherans do not place our ultimate hope in political parties, elected officials, courts, or constitutions. But we do believe God is at work in the world, calling us to seek justice, peace, and the well-being of all creation.

After America250, people of faith have an opportunity to move from commemoration to commitment. We can ask better questions, and tell a fuller story. We can build broader coalitions. We can continue to stand with those pushed to the margins. We can help our congregations become places where civic life is practiced with courage and compassion.

The anniversary has passed. The work remains.

The next 250 years will be shaped by the choices we make now — not only in Washington, D.C., or at the Arizona Capitol, but in congregations, school boards, city councils, county offices, neighborhoods, ministries, and voting booths across our state. Let’s step into that future not with despair, but with hope grounded in God’s love and with hands ready for the work of justice!