Letters to the Editor: If farmers have to report groundwater usage, so should data centers

The Los Angeles Times published a letter to the editor criticizing the State Water Resources Control Board for what the author perceives as a double standard in water regulation. The letter highlights that while landowners in the San Joaquin Valley's agricultural sector are mandated to submit detailed groundwater pumping reports, California's 288 data centers are collectively using billions of gallons of municipal water with virtually no auditing. The author specifically references Governor Gavin Newsom's 2023 veto of Assembly Bill 93, which aimed to require new data centers to report their expected annual water consumption. Governor Newsom stated his reluctance to impose "rigid reporting requirements" on the tech sector without fully understanding the economic impact. The letter writer questions why the agricultural industry, crucial for food supply, faces more stringent oversight than "AI hyperscalers," which are accused of increasing unemployment and driving up water and electricity rates across the state.