Coresite
Audio By Carbonatix
Denver Mayor Mike Johnston delivered some tough talk this week, issuing an executive order on February 26 outlining the city’s position on protecting itself from aggressive Immigration and Customs Enforcement. That followed his revelation that he was dumping the Flock contract, and the surprise announcement at the start of the week that he’d like to see a moratorium put on considering future Denver data center permits.
Remember, that’s future data centers. CoreSite in Globeville is already expanding, and neighbors were plenty hot at the prospect at a town hall meeting Tuesday.
In their comments on the Westword Facebook page about the proposed moratorium, readers exert a lot of energy describing their own concerns about data centers Says Rachel:
It’s about the water, the power, the negative effect on all of us. Pull the plug.
Adds BJ:
Shut them all down! Colorado is in a drought and doesn’t have enough water for humans, let alone the data centers.
Responds Aaron:
Diverting water for these centers will increase the chance for BIG & EXCITING wildfires…
Suggests Anne:
Data centers that plan to use evaporative cooling should not be placed in neighborhoods that will have ten above-100-degree days in a year. They should not be able to dump their heat into an already heat-stressed neighborhood. And if DOTI is going to charge me more for having more of my yard covered with hard surfaces, there should be a recognition that 80216, with a major interstate, and bordered by two more, with the parking lots at the National Western Complex, is burdened by too much coverage already. The data center adds fifteen more acres of sun-baked, impervious concrete to this neighborhood.
Responds Ryan:
People really don’t understand data centers. Your entire life nowadays is run by data centers. You wouldn’t even be able to call 911 without data centers. That phone infrastructure is now ran through data centers. The entire medical industry utilizes data centers. Your phone uses data centers. You couldn’t even complain on the internet without data centers.
Adds Jason:
The vast majority of jobs moving forward are going to be in the skilled labor it takes to build these data centers and keep them running. This is the blue- collar revolution.
Offers Anthony:
Maybe Colorado shouldn’t have walked away from nuclear energy. Wind turbines are a taxpayer-supplemented scam and barely produce enough power to justify the environmental impact, much less how they litter the landscape with unsightly crap.
Microsoft is bringing a nuclear reactor back online in New York to power a data center there. With the new thorium salt reactors, there’s no chance of a meltdown, but the regulations to build one are beyond restrictive.
Also, Denver is known for its rock stable grid isn’t it?
Replies Hal:
Colorado, the anti-business state.
And Eldon concludes:
Wasting massive amounts of water and electricity. Our rates go up and those billionaires’ corporations building them make massive amounts of profits. I thought Democrats were about saving the environment. Nope.
What do you think of data centers? Mayor Mike Johnston’s suggested moratorium on any additional projects? Post a comment or share your thoughts at editorial@westword.com.
