Opinion | Simona Martin: Colorado's data center boom needs public health guardrails

Dr. Simona Martin, a pediatric hospital medicine physician and advocate with Healthy Air & Water Colorado, has penned an opinion piece for The Boulder Reporting Lab, urging the Colorado General Assembly to pass Senate Bill 26-102. The bill, sponsored by Sen. Cathy Kipp of Fort Collins and Rep. Kyle Brown of Louisville, proposes crucial guardrails for the state's expanding data center industry, which currently includes approximately 50 facilities with more planned for Denver and Weld County. Dr. Martin highlights that while artificial intelligence and data centers offer transformative benefits, their unchecked growth poses significant risks to public health, clean air, reliable water supplies, and affordable electricity. She notes that data centers are extremely energy-intensive, with a single facility consuming as much electricity as tens of thousands of homes, putting immense pressure on the power grid. SB 26-102 aims to ensure that large new electricity users cover their infrastructure costs, preventing these expenses from being shifted to Colorado families already facing rising utility bills. From a public health standpoint, the commentary emphasizes that energy affordability is a health issue, and increased electricity demand met by fossil fuel plants would worsen air quality, contributing to respiratory and heart diseases. The bill requires new large-load facilities to operate on 100% clean electricity and addresses concerns about diesel backup generators. Additionally, SB 26-102 places guardrails on water use, a critical concern in a drought-prone state, to prevent the depletion of local resources without accountability. Dr. Martin concludes that the bill offers a responsible path for digital innovation to coexist with strong public health protections for all Coloradans.