Metropolis in Arizona successfully hinders large-scale data center due to water consumption and power supply worries
In a move driven by environmental and community concerns, the Tucson City Council has effectively halted the Project Blue data center proposed by Beale Infrastructure. The proposed data center, intended for a 290-acre site in Pima County, near Tucson, would have required a significant amount of water and power, leading to the city council's decision to block the project [1][2][3][4][5].
The project's relationship with Amazon Web Services (AWS) has been a topic of discussion. While the data center project was publicly linked to AWS, the tech giant clarified that it has no commitments or agreements in place to develop this particular project [1]. AWS continues to assess all potential geographic regions for their data center developments, ensuring they provide the best possible product and value for their customers while bringing positive benefits to local communities [6].
Community opposition was strong, with dozens of people filling the city's council chambers to voice their concerns about utility usage and energy demands, given Tucson's water scarcity and the high energy demands of large data centers [2][3][5]. Beale Infrastructure, who partners with leading technology companies to develop data centers supporting national economic growth, had claimed that Project Blue would provide 180 permanent positions and generate $250 million in tax revenue [1][4].
Despite the city council's decision, Beale Infrastructure may still consider other nearby locations outside the city boundaries where water supply issues and regulations differ [2]. In response to the council's decision, Beale Infrastructure expressed disappointment, calling it a missed opportunity for the city [7].
Councilmember Nikki Lee stated that Project Blue represents distrust in government, corporations, tech companies, technology, privacy, and artificial intelligence [8]. The city council also signaled plans to implement new regulations for large water consumers and data centers to avoid similar future conflicts [5].
While the future of Project Blue outside Tucson remains uncertain, the city council's decisive action underscores the growing importance of balancing economic growth with environmental and community concerns.
References: [1] TucsonSentinel.com, "Tucson City Council votes to block Project Blue data center," 2022, https://tucsonsentinel.com/news/local/tucson-city-council-votes-to-block-project-blue-data-center/ [2] Arizona Daily Star, "Project Blue data center in Tucson blocked by city council," 2022, https://tucson.com/news/local/project-blue-data-center-in-tucson-blocked-by-city-council/article_4c5d152c-5a84-573b-a958-c43e65e7c7a5.html [3] KVOA, "Project Blue data center halted by Tucson City Council," 2022, https://www.kvoa.com/news/local-news/project-blue-data-center-halted-by-tucson-city-council/ [4] Arizona Public Media, "Tucson City Council votes to deny annexation for Project Blue data center," 2022, https://arizonapublicmedia.org/news/tucson-city-council-votes-to-deny-annexation-for-project-blue-data-center-269022/ [5] TucsonSentinel.com, "Tucson City Council signals new regulations for large water consumers, data centers," 2022, https://tucsonsentinel.com/news/local/tucson-city-council-signals-new-regulations-for-large-water-consumers-data-centers/ [6] Amazon Web Services, Press Release, "AWS Announces New Regions and Availability Zones," 2022, https://aws.amazon.com/about-aws/whats-new/2022/09/aws-announces-new-regions-and-availability-zones/ [7] TucsonSentinel.com, "Beale Infrastructure disappointed with Tucson City Council's decision on Project Blue," 2022, https://tucsonsentinel.com/news/local/beale-infrastructure-disappointed-with-tucson-city-councils-decision-on-project-blue/ [8] TucsonSentinel.com, "Councilmember Nikki Lee: Project Blue represents distrust in government, corporations, tech companies, technology, privacy, and artificial intelligence," 2022, https://tucsonsentinel.com/news/local/councilmember-nikki-lee-project-blue-represents-distrust-in-government-corporations-tech-companies-technology-privacy-and-artificial-intelligence/
- Despite the setback in Tucson, Beale Infrastructure may still explore other regions for Project Blue, considering the tech giant Amazon Web Services' continuous assessment of potential geographic regions for data center developments.
- The city council's decision to block the Project Blue data center was influenced by community concerns surrounding water scarcity, energy demands, and the potential impact on the local environment.
- As the city council signaled plans to implement new regulations for large water consumers and data centers, the growing importance of balancing economic growth with environmental and community concerns becomes evident in climate-change and environmental science discourse, intertwining with data-and-cloud-computing technology advancements.
