Reaction to Arizona attorney general’s call for statewide pause on data center construction

YUMA COUNTY, Ariz. (KYMA) - Locals across Yuma County are sharing their reaction to Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes' call for a statewide pause on data center construction.

In a press release Monday, the pause is said to be "necessary amid rising energy bills and after the Department of Interior cut Arizona's Colorado River water supplies by almost 30%."

"The only sane thing to do is to pause the approval of new data centers," Attorney General Mayes said. "Data centers are power- and water-intensive, and Arizona is challenged on both fronts right now."

Mayes is also calling on lawmakers and Gov. Katie Hobbs (D-Ariz.) to pass "legislation to halt data center approvals until Arizona develops a plan to manage the industry's growth."

In addition, Mayes announced she will be holding a town hall in Ahwatukee, a village located in Phoenix, on October 14, where she will hear "from concerned community members about Menlo Digital's planned hyperscale data center project."

Reporter Adrik Vargas will have local reaction later this evening.