Colorado State House District 44 candidate Q&A
Colorado State House District 44 candidate John H. Sutton identified data center accountability as a priority, citing concerns about grid strain, utility costs and water use. He supports requiring large-load data centers to disclose impacts and pay their proportional share of infrastructure costs.
John H. Sutton, the Libertarian candidate for Colorado House District 44, said data center growth could strain the electrical grid and water infrastructure serving Parker and Douglas County. He proposed disclosure requirements and cost-sharing rules to prevent ratepayers from bearing infrastructure costs associated with large-load facilities.
Sutton also said data center accountability could attract bipartisan support alongside wildfire readiness, water infrastructure and broadband improvements. He criticized what he described as a lack of progress under Gov. Jared Polis and called for stronger statewide oversight of data centers' water and grid impacts, though he did not identify a specific project or propose a concrete measure already under consideration.