켄터키 카운티가 관할 지역 내 AI 데이터센터 개발을 영구적으로 금지했다.

Woodford County in Kentucky has enacted a permanent ban on data center development, following a coordinated vote by the Fiscal Court and the local governments of Midway and Versailles. The ban was approved at a Fiscal Court meeting on September 8, 2026.

Woodford County Judge-Executive James Kay characterized the decision as a "clear commitment to what makes Woodford County one of the most special places on earth." According to the Lexington Herald Leader, the ban resulted from an unusual alignment: the county's incorporated cities and county government reached consensus on identical banning language with little opposition from either rural or urban elected officials.

"By taking this decisive step, Woodford County chose to protect our farmland, honor our farming families, and safeguard the quiet character of our countryside," Kay said. "This isn't about closing doors. It's about holding the line for the community we treasure. Woodford County's future is rooted in our land and water. Our future is farming."

Kay emphasized a generational obligation: the community must preserve "the same vibrant rural landscape, pristine waterways, and strong farming foundation that we enjoy" for future residents. "We will not allow data centers to compromise our future," he said.

The permanent ban builds on earlier action. In June, the Woodford County Fiscal Court unanimously approved two measures directing the county attorney to draft data center ban legislation and asking the planning commission to consider similar regulations. The same month, the Versailles City Council—governing the Woodford County seat—unanimously approved its own data center moratorium through December 31, 2026, barring the planning commission and local government from considering any permits, approvals, or project plans involving data centers. Versailles acted shortly after the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council took similar action.

The local resistance reflects broader rural concerns. One area family famously refused a $26 million offer to sell land for a data center development. The family matriarch, an 83-year-old widow, and her daughter, who is nearly blind from diabetes, grounded their refusal in faith and principle. "What I believe in is something called Jesus Christ, and he said to occupy, wherever you're standing, you occupy until he returns," the daughter said. "I believe artificial intelligence will be the destruction of the human race."