Data Centers Take Center Stage at Santa Clara City Council
The Santa Clara City Council discussed data centers’ water use, air quality impacts and electricity demands. Council members referred the issue back to city staff, while a proposed moratorium on new data center construction was deferred for a future meeting.
The Santa Clara City Council examined how data centers affect water consumption, air quality and electricity resources. Council Member Suds Jain called for stronger safeguards, while Council Member Kevin Park said Silicon Valley Power lacks sufficient capacity to serve new facilities and is already operating at a deficit. City officials said Santa Clara has not approved a new data center since 2023, and that many facilities use recycled water for cooling.
Council Member Karen Hardy separately proposed a moratorium on new data center construction and the elimination of nondisclosure agreements for data center projects. The moratorium was not formally debated, and Vice Mayor Albert Gonzalez expressed discomfort with it. The council unanimously referred the water-use and air-quality item back to city staff without setting a deadline for its return.