Wyoming Outdoor Council pushes for responsible data center development
The Wyoming Outdoor Council is touring the state to raise concerns about the rapid growth of data centers, advocating for responsible development over outright bans. They are highlighting environmental impacts related to water and energy consumption, using specific examples like Microsoft, Meta, and Google's Project Tembo in Cheyenne and Laramie County. The council is pushing for greater transparency, reporting requirements, and community benefits agreements from developers.
The Wyoming Outdoor Council (WOC) is conducting a statewide educational tour to address the rapid expansion of hyperscale and artificial intelligence data centers, particularly focusing on their environmental and local impacts. The conservation group held a community meeting in Cheyenne, highlighting concerns regarding water and energy consumption, wildlife, and the need for greater transparency from developers. John Burrows, WOC's energy and climate policy director, emphasized the organization's goal to promote responsible development rather than an outright ban, asserting that the discussion should focus on the physical infrastructure and its local contexts.
Jocelyn Wulf, WOC data center campaign manager, presented on the potential resource impacts. She noted that while modern data centers often use closed-loop cooling, the electricity generation for these facilities, especially those powered by natural gas, can still consume vast amounts of water. Wulf cited Project Tembo (formerly Project Jade), a Google and Tallgrass partnership in Laramie County designed to scale up to 10 gigawatts, as an example where associated natural gas power plants could use tens of millions of gallons of water daily. She also raised concerns about wastewater discharge, referencing a past incident where a Meta data center contractor in Cheyenne released bacteria into the city's wastewater system, underscoring the need for more stringent reporting requirements.
The WOC also discussed Wyoming's Industrial Siting Act, which developers can circumvent by locating projects in existing industrial parks, thereby shifting review burdens to local governments. While Governor Mark Gordon's Executive Order 2026-03, "Data Centers the Wyoming Way," provides state agency guidance on sustainability and transparency, it does not establish new permitting programs. Wulf encouraged communities to pursue Community Benefits Agreements (CBAs) to ensure local advantages, such as local hiring or community investments, before project approval.
The WOC's message to attendees was to engage with local leaders to shape the future of data center development in Wyoming, recognizing that the industry's growth is an undeniable reality.