San Jose wants to set standards for data center development
San Jose is initiating a community engagement process to establish new development standards for data centers, aiming to balance economic growth with community health and environmental protections. Residents and advocates are calling for robust safeguards, including a potential moratorium, to address concerns about water contamination, power grid strain, and chemical discharge before new projects like a large Google facility are approved. The City Council is expected to receive proposed standards in December.
The city of San Jose, California, has begun a community engagement process to develop new standards for data center construction, with final proposed standards expected to be presented to the City Council in December. City Manager Jennifer Maguire emphasized the need for a thoughtful approach to support economic opportunity while protecting residents' quality of life. The initiative comes amid public pressure and concerns about the environmental impact and resource demands of large energy projects.
Advocacy groups and researchers are urging the city to establish rigorous safeguards, citing potential issues with harmful chemical discharges, strain on the power grid, and water contamination. Linda Hutchins-Knowles, co-founder of Mothers Out Front Silicon Valley, specifically called for a moratorium on new data center approvals until robust standards are firmly in place, arguing against grandfathering in projects under outdated regulations. Masheika Allgood, a data center and AI ethics researcher, warned that San Jose's current infrastructure may not be sufficient for an AI data center boom, highlighting the lack of studies on atypical contaminants and the capacity of wastewater treatment facilities to handle them.
Mayor Matt Mahan and Councilmembers Peter Ortiz, Domingo Candelas, and David Cohen released a memo stating that the new standards aim to mitigate environmental impacts, facilitate community engagement, and support cleaner infrastructure, promoting a flexible framework for responsible development. Councilmember Candelas stressed the importance of strong environmental protections and a transparent engagement process. Residents like Angelina Cayabyab are also pushing for developers to disclose whether data centers are AI-focused, noting that this distinction significantly impacts water usage, discharge, and generator activity. Critics, including Allgood, point to a proposed 250-megawatt Google development, which they identify as a data center, as an example of a project that should be held to higher standards.