Proposition 45 Would Minimize Environmental Review for Data Centers, Other Projects
A letter to the editor in The Mercury News criticizes California's proposed Proposition 45, arguing it would weaken environmental review for projects including data centers, freeways, and power plants. Another letter responds to an article about data center impacts, questioning the number of data centers needed and their water usage.
The Mercury News published letters to the editor, including one critical of California's proposed Proposition 45, or BACA (Backtrack California Act). The author argues that despite claims of modest steps, Prop 45 would significantly reduce environmental review for various projects, including data centers, freeways, fossil-fuel power plants, and dams. The letter asserts this would shift over $100 million in review costs to the government annually and diminish accountability for developers, harkening back to a perceived era of environmental disregard.
Another letter addresses a piece titled "Data centers face undue panic about mild resource impacts," chastising the original author for dismissing opponents of data center expansion. The letter writer challenges the comparison of data center water usage to alfalfa crops by pointing out alfalfa's role in the environmentally impactful cattle industry. It also questions the necessity and specific purpose of continued, unrestrained data center buildout beyond the existing 5,000 facilities in the U.S., particularly when considering eminent domain for private land.