Inyokern Airport joins opposition to proposed data center, citing community impacts
Local aviation and military officials, including Inyokern Airport and China Lake Naval Base, are opposing a proposed data center in Inyokern, California. They cite concerns about aviation safety, navigable airspace, thermal plumes, and the facility's extensive water and electricity demands from 40 diesel generators in a critically over-drafted area. The California Energy Commission is currently reviewing the project's backup power generation and encouraging public input.
Concerns are escalating over a proposed data center in Inyokern, California, with multiple local entities voicing strong opposition. The Inyokern Airport sent a letter to the Kern County Board of Supervisors, the Kern County Planning and Natural Resource Department, and the California Energy Commission, warning that the industrial-scale operations could impact aviation safety and navigable airspace. Similarly, the China Lake Naval Base submitted a letter detailing worries about the considerable thermal plume generated by the facility's cooling system and 40 diesel generators, which could affect the NAWS China Lake test range.
The project developer is seeking a "small power plant exemption" that would limit the California Energy Commission's environmental review primarily to the backup power generation. Tammy Bouyer of Taxpayers for Accountability for Our Groundwater highlighted the CEC's extensive 30-page data request to the developer, specifically noting concerns about water usage in the region, which is designated as a critically over-drafted area. Bouyer, along with the city of Ridgecrest, is urging the California Energy Commission to give serious consideration to community and agency comments.
The California Energy Commission affirmed its role in carefully reviewing all public input for its analysis of the project's backup generation, emphasizing that additional comments from local agencies and residents help bring more scrutiny to the proposal. While not opposing data centers or artificial intelligence generally, Bouyer stressed the importance of selecting an appropriate location, asserting that Inyokern is not the ideal site for this development.