By DEBORAH MARTINEZ MARTINEZ
In Southern Colorado, climate pollution is affecting the way people perceive the push to put large data centers in their communities.
Data centers can consume as much electricity as 175,000 homes and there is concern for scarce water supplies. Also, the promise of jobs is a false one, according to a Forbes Magazine report ( tax breaks for data centers bring few jobs ).
These data centers are asking communities and the states for “tax breaks” for bringing them to Colorado. Chicano environmental activists such as Jamie Valdez, a Colorado transportation and energy policy advocate, are encouraging people to pay attention as centers are more likely to be located closer to low income areas.
This year, lawmakers are offering widely different bills that would regulate the industry. House Bill 1030 would give large state tax breaks in exchange for regulations.
Senate Bill 102 offers no incentives but imposes regulation on all large data centers in the state. Reports say these data centers will use AI and make heavy demands on community resources including electricity and water.
Requests to build data centers have been seen by some areas. North Denver will host CoreSite, a 60-megawatt data center, and a recent community meeting was boycotted by the owners due to “safety concerns.” Several hundred community people showed up to express concerns to city and utilities officials.
City leaders reportedly have told attendees that they had no say in whether the data center could be built because a lack of city regulations specific to the industry.
A number of cities are asking for a moratorium on the building of data centers until some regulations are in place.
The effect on Chicano communities will be felt. Now, “nearly 1 in 14 Colorado children has asthma, with higher rates in low-income and Latino communities,” according to Patricia Garcia-Nelson, Colorado fossil fuels just transition advocate.
“Wildfire smoke now blankets large parts of the state almost every summer, and extreme heat days are increasing pushing more emergency room visits in places where access to medical help is limited,” said Garcia-Nelson.
In addition to demanding huge amounts of water and electricity, residents in communities where data centers have sprawled in other state complain of noise pollution.
