Arizona Offline Pledge
The Arizona Chamber of Commerce launched an "Arizona Offline Pledge" to challenge residents advocating for a data center moratorium, urging them to give up data-center-reliant services. This initiative comes as Attorney General Kris Mayes calls for a moratorium due to water and power concerns, while Governor Katie Hobbs approved a budget including a three-year freeze on tax breaks for new data centers. Former President Donald Trump also weighed in, criticizing the anti-data center movement.
The Arizona Chamber of Commerce has launched the "Arizona Offline Pledge," challenging residents who advocate for a data center moratorium to abstain from all technologies and services reliant on data centers, such as social media, streaming, and online banking. Courtney Coolidge, the Chamber's executive vice president, stated that data center expansion is essential for modern life and that Arizona must solve growth challenges rather than simply stopping development.
This pledge is in response to growing calls for a moratorium, notably from Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes, who labeled a pause on new data center approvals as "the only sane thing to do." Mayes cited Arizona's vulnerability to excessive data center development, particularly concerning the serious distress of the Colorado River and proposed transfers of La Paz County's groundwater to fuel growth. Governor Katie Hobbs recently approved a state budget that includes a three-year freeze on tax breaks for new data centers, though it permits continued construction. Hobbs also supports a water usage fee for new data centers, with proceeds directed to the Colorado River Protection Fund.
Former President Donald Trump also commented on the issue, criticizing opponents of data centers, suggesting their actions would lead to economic decline and make the state "backwards and poor." He warned against