Senate may limit data center water

The Idaho Senate is poised to consider House Bill 895, a legislative effort to curb water consumption by data centers across the state. The bill, sponsored by Rep. Britt Raybould (R-Rexburg), successfully passed the House with a 58-10 vote before advancing through the Senate Resources & Environment Committee. Its primary objective is to prohibit future data centers, beginning construction after July 1, from utilizing consumptive evaporative cooling systems, which can use up to 100 million gallons of water annually for a 50 MW facility. Raybould explained that while hybrid systems offer some reduction, the legislation aims to steer developers towards "non-consumptive" closed-loop cooling systems, which require significantly less water, around 100,000 gallons per year. An exception would allow consumptive systems if a data center brokers an agreement with a municipality or existing water district. Furthermore, the bill directs the director of the Idaho Department of Water Resources to evaluate whether proposed data center water rights conflict with public interest, conservation, or adversely affect local watersheds. The Idaho Conservation League, through Cynthia Gibson, supported the bill as a proactive measure against a significant environmental impact. The article provides context by referencing past concerns from Kuna residents regarding water usage by a Meta data center announced in 2022, and the 2025 approval of a rezoning request for Diode Ventures' 620-acre Gemstone Technology Park in Kuna. Additionally, the U.S. Department of Energy selected Idaho Falls' Idaho National Laboratory as a site for a future AI data center in 2025.