Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford Proposes Data Center Policy Changes
Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford, a gubernatorial candidate, has announced plans to pause new tax abatements for data centers, ban evaporative cooling, and require them to provide their own water and pay for electricity if elected. Critics, including Governor Joe Lombardo's campaign, highlight that Ford co-sponsored the 2015 legislation that established the state's data center tax abatement program. The article discusses this political reversal amidst a campaign for governor.
Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford, a gubernatorial candidate, has unveiled a new campaign pledge to implement stricter regulations on data centers in Nevada. If elected, Ford plans to pause new tax abatements for data centers, audit existing ones, ban evaporative cooling methods, and mandate that data centers supply their own water or coolant and cover their full electricity costs. His campaign asserts that data centers are depleting Nevada's water resources and increasing energy bills, blaming Governor Joe Lombardo for what he calls a "gravy train" of tax breaks.
However, critics are quick to point out the inconsistency in Ford's stance. Ford himself was a primary co-sponsor of Senate Bill 170 in 2015, the legislation that originally established Nevada's data center tax abatement program. At the time, he and other Democrats celebrated these incentives as beneficial for attracting tech investment and jobs, with no initial provisions for energy or water use guardrails. Governor Lombardo's campaign has explicitly called out Ford's reversal, stating that he is attempting to "rewrite history" and linking directly to the 2015 legislation.
The article also touches on broader influences, mentioning documented foreign networks, including a Shanghai-based American Marxist and European philanthropic groups, that have channeled money into U.S. left-wing organizations like the Party for Socialism and Liberation and the Sierra Club, which actively campaign against data center projects. It suggests Ford is aligning with a trend that could slow America's AI infrastructure development. Ford's proposed ban on evaporative cooling and requirement for closed-loop systems also comes as many modern AI data centers from companies like Microsoft, NVIDIA, Meta, and Amazon are already deploying such water-efficient technologies.
Ultimately, the article frames Ford's policy shift as a politically motivated move, appearing only after data center issues became contentious in some communities and as polls show him trailing in the gubernatorial race. Nevadans will now decide whether a candidate who initially championed the incentives is suitable to introduce new restrictions.