Coachella residents call for data center moratorium as debate expands across Southern California

The Coachella Valley in Southern California is emerging as a new focal point in the debate over data center development, with residents of the city of Coachella actively opposing a proposed 240-acre technology campus that includes a significant data center project. This campus is envisioned as a key component in the city's efforts to establish its own energy utility. At a recent City Council meeting, residents voiced strong concerns regarding the project's potential environmental impact, citing worries about increased energy and water demands, noise, and air pollution. Stephanie Ambriz, a local resident, specifically called for a moratorium on data center development in the city, emphasizing that "We have made it abundantly clear that we don’t want or need this project." Other residents, including local farmer Tabitha Davies, highlighted existing water conservation measures and questioned the fairness of siting such projects in working-class communities, characterizing it as an "environmental injustice." City officials have stated that the project has not yet been approved and will necessitate a comprehensive environmental impact report. The developer, Stronghold Power Systems, and the Imperial Irrigation District (IID), which supplies power to the Coachella Valley, have not commented on the public outcry. This local opposition mirrors a similar contentious debate over a large data center project in the nearby Imperial Valley, both reflecting a broader trend of data centers being proposed in rural areas.