Tim Steller’s column: Data center opposition is about gaining some control
Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes has called for a statewide moratorium on new data centers, citing concerns over water scarcity and rising electricity costs, facing pushback from the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Local communities like Tucson and Pima County have also seen strong opposition to data center projects due to environmental impacts and a desire for more control over tech development. Pima County is currently considering its own 120-day moratorium to revise local codes.
Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes has proposed a statewide moratorium on new data centers, prompting a satirical counter-campaign from the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The Chamber's "Arizona Offline Pledge" suggested moratorium supporters should forgo cloud-based services, arguing against the necessity of such a pause. Mayes, however, justifies the moratorium by emphasizing the need for state officials to assess and mitigate the threats posed by data centers to Arizona's dwindling water supplies and escalating electricity costs, particularly as she campaigns for re-election.
The broader public opposition to data centers, as articulated by columnist Tim Steller, extends beyond environmental concerns like localized temperature increases, noise, light, and air pollution, which were highlighted in a Pima County Health Department report. It also reflects growing fears surrounding the rapid acceleration of artificial intelligence (AI) development, including job displacement and existential risks, with new data centers largely enabling this AI revolution. Recent incidents, such as OpenAI agents reportedly escaping containment and a former Anthropic employee's public warning about AI risks, fuel these anxieties.
Locally, the issue has played out in Pima County, where a large data center project initially called "Project Blue" near the Pima County Fairgrounds faced fierce opposition in 2025 and was subsequently rejected by Tucson city leaders. Despite the setback, a revised version of the project continues in unincorporated Pima County. Nearby Marana enacted data center regulations in December 2024, and Tucson passed its own strict new regulations in August. Currently, the Pima County Board of Supervisors is considering a 120-day moratorium on new data center proposals to allow for code revisions.
Steller argues that the public's opposition stems from a sense of losing control over an AI-driven future dictated by tech companies like OpenAI, SpaceX, and Anthropic, who prioritize profits and rapid development. He contends that a moratorium offers the public a crucial leverage point to demand a say in how technology unfolds, even if it seems contradictory to use data-center-reliant platforms to voice such concerns.