Colorado needs a smarter answer on data centers than yes or no

By Scott James | Commentary, Scott’s Sheet

Colorado can welcome data centers, but only with honest math on water, power, rates, and who pays when the press release meets the utility bill.

Most normal people do not wake up worried about data centers.

They wake up worried about the mortgage, the water bill, the power bill, the kids, the roads, and whether the internet will freeze right as the Broncos line up on fourth and short.

Then somebody says “data center,” and the room divides almost immediately.

One side acts like every giant project is economic manna from heaven. The other side acts like a server farm is Mordor with better landscaping. Somewhere between NIMBY and corporate shill, there is a principled yes.

Colorado ought to find it.

Big Pivots argues that Colorado should look at a smarter model for attracting data centers, especially around electricity and water. The article notes that another Colorado bill to incentivize data centers failed, and that the concerns are real: tax breaks, utility infrastructure costs, electricity demand, clean-energy goals, and water use. It also points to Texas as a state worth studying, not because Texas is perfect, but because its electricity market gives large users more ability to negotiate power supplies.

Yes, Texas. Cue the Boulder fainting couch. But grown-ups learn from places they do not always agree with.

That is the real point here. Colorado does not have to say yes to every big project like a golden retriever with a planning commission badge. We also do not have to say no to everything that makes noise, uses power, or arrives with consultants in nice shoes. The grown-up answer is to be smarter on the front end.

Data centers are not fairy dust. They use land. They need electricity. Some designs can use water. They affect transmission planning. They raise questions about who pays when the shiny economic-development promise meets the utility invoice. And regular Coloradans are right to ask those questions.

You are not anti-growth for wanting the math to work. You are not backward for asking whether your power bill goes up. You are not a crank for wondering how much water is involved. You are not anti-technology for saying, “Before we cut the ribbon, can somebody please show us the numbers?”

That is not obstruction.

That is citizenship.

A smarter approach starts with guardrails. Low-water design should not be a nice extra. In Colorado, it should be a starting assumption. Energy planning needs to be clean, reliable, and honest. If a project needs massive new power, the public should know where that power comes from, how the grid handles it, and who pays for the upgrades.

Local communities need transparency before the decision is already baked and frosted. And data centers should fit Colorado, not require Colorado to bend around them. That means asking the old Colorado question: does this help the people who live here, or does it just look good in a press release?

Economic development is not just landing the whale. It is making sure the whale does not drink the reservoir dry, spike everyone’s rates, and then leave town with a commemorative plaque.

To be clear, data centers are part of modern life. Every email, bank transaction, medical record, business file, map route, streaming show, and cloud backup lives somewhere. We all want the digital world to work. We just tend to forget it has a physical address, an electric meter, and a footprint.

So no, this is not a tech panic. And no, it should not be booster-club confetti either. It is a growth question.

READ THE FULL COMMENTARY AT SCOTTKJAMES.COM

Scott K. James is a second-term Weld County Commissioner and former Mayor of Johnstown, Colorado. A fourth-generation Colorado native and 40-year radio veteran, he’s been recognized by both the Colorado Broadcasters’ Association and Colorado Counties, Inc. for his public service and communication leadership. James is a strong advocate for individual liberty, limited government, and rural communities. He lives in Johnstown with his wife, Julie, and their son, Jack.

Editor’s note: Opinions expressed in commentary pieces are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the management of the Rocky Mountain Voice, but even so we support the constitutional right of the author to express those opinions.