Local votes and rules
✋ Turned down · Pocatello
On a request to reconsider, the city council voted 3-2 to again deny Lex Developments' permit for an AI data center at the old Hoku plant (1800 River Park Way). The council dropped the usual 12-month wait, so the company can apply again right away. The decision became final Oct. 1, 2026. The company then had 28 days to ask a court to review it.
⏸️ Pause on new data centers · Bannock County
County commissioners signed an emergency 180-day pause on data center permit applications in the parts of the county outside city limits (Ordinance 2026-02). It does not cover Pocatello or other cities. Staff will use the time to write the county's first data center rules on water, power costs, noise, light and setbacks, with public hearings later.
✋ Turned down · Pocatello
The city council voted 4-1 to uphold the hearing examiner's denial of the Lex Developments AI data center at the old Hoku plant. The developer had argued the project did not need a special permit. The council said city code was written before AI data centers and should be updated.
✋ Turned down · Pocatello
After a May 14 public hearing where most of the 90+ speakers were against it, the city's hearing examiner denied a special permit (conditional use permit) for a $2.6 billion AI data center at the old Hoku plant. She said the developer had not shown it would not harm the public, and asked for studies on power, water, wastewater and air before any new try. The developer appealed on June 1.
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In Idaho, cities and towns decide inside their limits. Outside them, the county decides.