TheDGT.org hosted a discussion with Pima Co. Supervisor Jen Allen and Tucson City Councilor Nikki Lee, who have both taken up the cause of educating themselves and the public on this issue before approving the new developement. The result is an engaging discussion of the many issues that need clarification before we let this industry set up shop in our community.
It is worth noting here that Phoenix has recently enacted new zoning regulations specifically around data centers based on some of the community impacts they have experienced with data centers in their communities. We would be wise to learn from their experiences and adopt some reasonable regulations around them before welcoming them into our community. There has been considerable reseach and experience around this growing issue, and we should certainly consider that research and history carefully to ensure Tucson gets the benefits and avoids the pitfalls.
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The bottom line is that there is NO way to make the Project Blue Data Center or any other Data Center “desert friendly”! It will still be using our limited and already endangered water at an unprecedented rate!! Many people, including one man on this video, do not understand that no matter whether they use POTABLE or RECLAIMED WATER water…. IT IS STILL USING OUR WATER, WHICH COMES FROM ONLY 2 SOURCES RAIN AND the CAP!!! So, when the Project Blue people say that it is a “water positive” project… it is a flat out lie!!! There is NO way for them to CREATE MORE WATER!!! They will still be using up and evaporating water that would otherwise go into the ground to recharge our aquifer!!! Their false claims of being “water positive” are why I call it “Project Voo Doo”!!!
And the massive electricity required by Data Centers will make our electricity rates much higher because it will require TEP to greatly expand its infrastructure. These inescapable problems are THE REASON THEY ARE NOT DISCLOSING WHO THEY ARE OR ANY OF THE DETAILS OF WATER AND ENERGY USAGE!!! And as for solar being available 24 hrs/day…. everything I have read about these Data Centers (that is written by independent parties, and NOT by their proponents) states that the massive amount of electricity they use is just too large for solar to supply it…. and in fact, if you watch Democracy Now from last Friday, it revealed that even fossil fuels are not keeping up with it, and so they are pushing to build more nuclear power plants!!! https://www.democracynow.org/2025/7/4/empire_of_ai_karen_hao_on
NO TO PROJECT BLUE!!!