AG Kris Mayes hosts data center town hall in Mesa, doubles down on promise to get answers from APS
Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes hosted a data center town hall in Mesa, where residents raised concerns about noise, environmental impacts and whether Arizona Public Service customers are paying for data center expansion. Mayes said she could issue consumer fraud subpoenas to APS if regulators do not determine whether data center costs are being shifted to ratepayers.
Attorney General Kris Mayes told roughly 100 people at a Mesa town hall that her office is seeking answers from Arizona Public Service about the effect of data center development on customer bills. She said there should be no cost shifting to residential customers and did not rule out using consumer fraud authority to subpoena APS records if the Arizona Corporation Commission does not resolve the issue.
Residents voiced concerns about the data center boom, including reports of noise reaching 110 decibels inside a nearby child’s bedroom and the proximity of three schools. Mayes also cited Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s moratorium on new data center construction as an example of bipartisan concern. Her Republican opponent, state Senate President Warren Peterson, said he supported efforts to eliminate data center tax breaks, while Democrats and Republicans disputed their respective records on the issue.