What to do about data centers
The projects will be built. The question is where and how.
Data centers are causing a lot of conversation across Colorado, and proposals for dealing with them range from banning them to incentivizing them.
The massive projects use large amounts of electricity and a lot of water, and other states that actively encouraged data center construction are now looking to end those incentives as they deal with higher energy costs and environmental problems.
At the same time, data centers are essential pieces of modern internet infrastructure that connect us to information, entertainment and each other. Building them also creates jobs and investment that can help communities grow and develop.
Colorado already has dozens of data centers, and there are plans to build dozens more. The challenge is making sure they’re built responsibly.
State lawmakers are considering multiple bills related to data centers, including one that would give tax breaks to data center operators but also require them to meet labor and environmental standards. Another bill would require data centers to produce their own power using renewable energy and water-efficient technologies.
The state’s public utility regulator is also planning for how to deal with “large load” customers like data centers. And several communities, including Denver, have implemented or are considering a pause on data center construction to make sure they have adequate guardrails for new projects.
Need to Know
🔌 State regulators are pressuring the energy giant Xcel to present a plan for dealing with high power demand this summer. An important coal-fired power plant remains offline while it awaits repairs. Officials are looking at additional solutions like incentives for voluntary cutbacks to avoid outages during the hottest months of the year. (Colorado Sun)
⛺ Aurora’s city council approved a policy to provide 72 hours notice before removing houseless people’s belongings. The idea is to prevent people from losing essential items that might worsen their situation. Other nearby cities have similar policies. Lakewood police generally give 72 hours notice, and a federal court ordered Denver in 2021 to give seven days notice. (Sentinel, Lakewood Police, Courthouse News Service)
📉 Senator John Hickenlooper is facing scrutiny for owning stock in companies that he helps regulate as a lawmaker. The investments are held in a “blind trust” that is not directly managed by him, but he still knows that he owns the stocks. Some of his fellow Colorado lawmakers at the federal level support greater restrictions on investing by elected officials. (Colorado Newsline)
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Something Good
🐯 I really enjoyed this deep dive from 5280 Magazine about a Colorado man who spent decades building the world’s largest carnivore sanctuary, and is now dealing with an influx of new neighbors near his Weld County property. It’s a fascinating and unusual example of how expanding development can bring recent arrivals and longtime locals into conflict. Pairs well with the utterly hilarious yet also disturbing new HBO documentary series “Neighbors."