Southern California lawmaker gets involved in data center dispute
Good morning and welcome to the A.M. Alert!
DATA CENTER DISPUTE
State Sen. Steve Padilla, D-Chula Vista, has issued a letter to a county board in his district, asking for more transparency about a proposed data center that’s been raising red flags for citizens and public officials.
California has over 300 data centers, but new projects have come under scrutiny as artificial intelligence usage booms and the public attempts to figure out how the facilities affect water and electricity availability in their areas.
The particular project in question is a data center proposed on 74 acres in unincorporated Imperial County, near the border with Mexico. Planning department officials alarmed city officials and local residents when they gave an early project stage an exemption from the California Environmental Quality Act review process.
In a letter sent Monday, Padilla asked the Imperial County Board of Supervisors what their rationale was in granting the CEQA exemption and asked what they knew about the proposed center’s water and energy source, and its distance from the nearest resident.
“There is an urgent need to balance environmental justice and health with economic opportunity, and CEQA provides a valuable tool for the local community to be informed on the environmental impacts of planned developments,” Padilla wrote to supervisors. His office said he has not yet received a response from the board.
According to the Imperial Irrigation District, the Imperial and Coachella valleys have seen heightened interest from data center developers due to the area’s available land, proximity to major metropolitan areas and low power and water costs. Padilla, who represents the area, said he plans to introduce legislation in January that will “develop energy and resource efficiency standards for data centers.”
Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed a bill this year that would have required data centers to disclose their intended water usage, saying he was reluctant to put undue pressure on the industry.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“We have to be more culturally normal. We have to be a little less judgmental. We have to be a party that understands the importance and power of the border, substantively and politically.”
— Gov. Gavin Newsom on the future of the Democratic Party, during an interview at the New York Times’ Dealbook summit.
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