El Paso City Council to mull new Meta data center protections

The El Paso City Council is set to consider additional safeguards for the Meta data center project in Northeast El Paso. City Representatives Cynthia Boyar Trejo and Danna Maldonado-Rocha are introducing a proposal for a Community Benefits Agreement (CBA) between the city and Meta Platforms, Inc.

This proposed CBA would address environmental protections, financial commitments, utility infrastructure improvements, ratepayer protection, workforce development initiatives, and community accountability, specifically regarding water and electric utility resources. It also includes an "El Paso First" hiring commitment for the 300 operational jobs associated with the data center.

Should the City Council approve the proposal, City Manager Dionne Mack would facilitate a series of roundtable discussions. These discussions would include Mayor Renard Johnson, City Attorney Karla Nieman, representatives from El Paso Electric, El Paso Water, the El Paso Chamber, the Greater El Paso Association of Realtors, Meta Platforms, a resident representative, and an environmental advocate. Their task would be to finalize a CBA for presentation to the City Council within 45 days. However, there is no guarantee that Meta would accept the proposed policy changes.

Separately, other council members, including Alejandra Chavez, Ivan Nino, and Art Fierro, are introducing their own proposal. This aims to hold data centers accountable by amending the city's state legislative agenda to advocate for protections for residential ratepayers potentially affected by rising utility bills due to data center proliferation. The item also directs City Manager Mack and City Attorney Nieman to assess the integration of the city's electrical utility grid.