On Monday night, gubernatorial candidate Alexis Hill held a town hall to discuss the growth of data centers in the state.
This has been a hot topic here in northern Nevada.
Officials say the purpose of this town hall was to hear the questions and concerns northern Nevada may be having about data centers coming to the state.
After talking to residents and candidates, a common concern is regulations and the impacts the centers will have.
Hill tells us, "We need to decide how we best ensure that we can get the best economic bang for our buck as a state and also ensure that we are regulating these uses properly, so it doesn't it doesn't make it so you have to pay for the cost of a data center with your utility bills, or we're seeing water shortage issues because of these uses."
Governor Joe Lombardo, running on the Republican side, tells us the impact on power rates and water supply is also important to him.
“I support data centers as part of Nevada’s economic growth strategy but their development must be carefully balanced with the needs of Nevadans. Any expansion or construction of these centers should not increase power rates for families or businesses, and we must carefully manage impacts on our water supply. My administration is focused on advancing innovative energy solutions to reduce strain on the grid and support responsible development.”
People we spoke to say the lack of restrictions data centers currently have is a big concern for them.
Allison Hartmann, a social media influencer in Northern Nevada and very informed on this topic, told us, "They don't have a lot of restrictions on what the data centers have. So like, for example, like, sound is something I'm very concerned about, like how the 24 over seven home that's going to be constantly going. Very concerned about that, especially with the Keystone data center."
Another thing mentioned by both neighbors and candidates was the 75-percent tax abatements the data centers receive, and questioning whether that is actually serving the community as much as they say.
Hartmann said, "The 75% tax abatements, they go to these data centers. They only have to pay 2% of their property tax, only have to hire ten full-time employees for ten years, to keep that abatement. Our state has definitely said, 'hey, here's our land and we're going to give you the cheapest price possible, and you can come build it here,' and so we have really sold Nevada as a wasteland, and I see it as much more than a wasteland".
Representatives from Aaron Ford’s campaign referred us to his energy plan online. It says, "Ford knows that we don’t have to choose between creating new data center jobs and keeping energy costs down—he will fight for both by holding corporations accountable, the way he’s done as Attorney General. As Governor, Ford will require that data centers commit to paying for the energy they consume and building out the additional electrical grid infrastructure needed to deliver it."
