Aurora decides to regulate, but not ban, data centers

The Aurora City Council voted 6-5 to reject a proposed six-month emergency moratorium on data center construction, put forth by Council Member Amy Wiles. The moratorium aimed to provide time for researching best practices, addressing community concerns, and developing informed regulations for data centers. Residents have raised significant questions about the environmental impact, particularly energy and water consumption, of these facilities.

Instead of a ban, the council passed a resolution sponsored by Council Member Curtis Gardner to establish new development standards for data centers. The drafting of these standards has begun, and a vote is anticipated on banning water-intensive evaporative cooling systems, which can consume millions of gallons of water daily. There is also discussion about requiring data center developers to use renewable or carbon-free energy and implementing cost-benefit analyses that compare economic benefits against environmental demands.

A large data center campus is currently under construction on the eastern edge of Aurora, adjacent to Denver International Airport, and is expected to become one of Xcel Energy Inc.'s largest customers with a planned capacity of over 177 megawatts. Aurora City Manager Jason Batchelor indicated that a final vote on these regulations could occur in late September or early October. However, Council Member Wiles expressed skepticism, fearing the outcome will favor large businesses over community concerns.

In contrast, the Denver City Council successfully implemented a city-wide moratorium on data centers in May, establishing a working group to study the issue. Denver council members did not respond to inquiries about assisting neighboring cities like Aurora in their regulatory efforts.