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."

Rep. Adelita Grijalva (D-Ariz.) said she shared similar concerns Mayes had regarding water supply and demand, and said she supports a national moratorium on new data center construction.

In a statement to News 11, Rep. Grijalva said, "A moratorium would give us the time needed to develop a national strategy and establish clear rules of the road for artificial intelligence. We need to ensure that the rapid growth of AI doesn’t come at the expense of our workers, our water, or our communities."

Locals News 11 spoke, like Albert Cajigas, to said they want more information from their elected representatives before the projects move forward.

"Right now, I just don't think the public is informed enough on what those data centers can really do to the to the area that, I think, maybe putting a little bit more time and research into it is going to be something that, I think, maybe we may need," Cajigas explained.

Grijalva said Arizona's drought, water supply cuts and higher utility bills are all reasons to take a closer look at data center growth.