Big turnout for meeting on data centers

The City of El Paso has initiated a series of community meetings to collect public feedback on how data centers should be regulated in the future, following the groundbreaking of a major Meta data center project. The billion-dollar Meta facility is slated to be operational by 2028, but its development has sparked significant controversy among residents. During the first community meeting, held at the Don Haskins Recreation Center, attendees expressed primary concerns regarding the potential strain on local resources, particularly water usage and energy demand. Residents questioned the timing of these public forums, with some stating that decisions had already been made and calling the process a "sham" and a "farce." Others voiced opposition to data centers consuming local water and energy, urging the city to reconsider or cancel its deal with large tech corporations. City officials acknowledged the lack of a formal data center policy and explained that the meetings are crucial for developing guidelines and a policy framework. This framework, intended to govern future data center projects, will eventually be presented to the City Council for a decision. The first meeting saw a strong turnout, with several more scheduled to allow residents to learn more and share their perspectives on the ongoing development.