Imperial Valley Computer Manufacturing LLC is proposing a nearly 1 million-square-foot “hyperscale” data center campus in Imperial County, a desert region better known for agriculture, geothermal energy and its proximity to the U.S.-Mexico border. The facility would be roughly the size of 16 football fields, according to project estimates.

The company has said the data center would create about 100 permanent jobs and generate an estimated $28.7 million in annual tax revenue, a potentially significant sum for one of California’s poorest counties.

But the proposal has drawn sharp scrutiny from residents and elected officials who have raised concerns about land use, environmental review, air quality and whether the rural county is prepared to host such a large technology project.

In April, project developer Sebastian Rucci won an important approval when the Imperial County Board of Supervisors agreed to consolidate several parcels of land needed for the facility. After months of public backlash, however, supervisors reversed course last week by calling for a 45-day moratorium and creating a public commission to review zoning policies tied to the project.

The city of Imperial has also sued, challenging the project’s review under California environmental law. At the same time, local voters are gathering signatures for a proposed ballot measure that would prohibit new data centers across Imperial County, similar to a ban recently adopted in Monterey Park.

State Sen. Steve Padilla, a Democrat from Chula Vista, is pushing legislation that would increase oversight of data centers in California. One of his proposals is aimed specifically at Imperial County and would expand the county air board from five members to 10, adding representation for public health, environmental groups and agriculture.

“They can’t just come in and claim that they … have a right to build the biggest data center in the state without any oversight,” Padilla said during a town hall in El Centro.

Rucci is preparing to fight the county’s moratorium in court. He plans to seek a temporary restraining order, arguing that county officials failed to demonstrate an actual emergency, did not clearly identify potential harms from the project and did not disclose the specific concerns raised by residents.

He has defended the proposal as a relatively low-impact use compared with other types of development.

“People can’t just emotionally say that ‘I dislike data centers,’” Rucci said. “It’s just a building, but with a lot less intensive use than other uses.”

The dispute places Imperial County at the center of a growing statewide debate over data centers, which are expanding as demand rises for cloud computing and artificial intelligence infrastructure. While developers often tout tax revenue and limited long-term staffing needs, critics have questioned the facilities’ energy demands, environmental effects and compatibility with surrounding communities.

For Imperial Valley residents, the question now is not only whether the massive project should be built, but who gets to decide how such facilities fit into the region’s future.

Original source: CalMatters

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