<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=16hlfE_1H4EgnYd00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=16hlfE_1H4EgnYd00" width="1600" height="900" ><figcaption>An Adobe Stock Image of a data center.</figcaption></figure>“If you bring a data center here…there’s gonna be problems.”This is the message both private citizens and members of the San Juan County Data Center Dissent Coalition shared with Farmington’s City Council during Tuesday’s meeting.While the council held an informational session on data centers in October, the public was not permitted to speak at that event. But at Tuesday’s meeting, nearly 80% of the attendees raised a hand to show they were attending to protest a data center in Farmington and make their voices heard.Several citizens cited the city’s NDAs, which were shared in a Tri-City Record story on Nov. 2. This was a particular reason for renewed concern, calling it a “grievous breach of trust.” Throughout their various addresses to council, protesters from all over the city made it inescapably clear that they would not welcome a data center in Farmington.“Data centers are massive consumers of water and electricity,” said Steven Shelby. “They drain local resources while offering very few long-term jobs. We will not sit by while our resources are quietly leveraged in backroom deals, only to be presented with a finalized project disguised as a strategic advantage. If there is truly nothing to hide, then prove it tonight.”In addition to concerns over noise level and pollution, Farmington’s position as an agricultural hub was also discussed as a particular worry for data centers, especially in combination with the droughts the city frequently experienced over the summer.“How do you expect we can support this as a community when most of the people here work for agriculture?” questioned Cheyenne Justice, a San Juan College student. “How can we expect our farmers to provide for their families if we do not have water to water our crops? This data center will only leach from the people of Farmington and Aztec, as well as drain money, and is only for government lobbying.”However, Farmington Mayor Nate Duckett maintained that the NDAs are not necessarily evidence of data center company dealings.Despite Shelby’s earlier accusation that “guilty people and liars make people sign NDAs,” Duckett noted that various companies considering development of any business often sign such agreements in the early stages, though many projects never materialize anyway.The mayor also denied that the city was in talks to bring in a data center in the first place.“There is no formal proposal for a data center,” Duckett stated. “I can’t state that enough. I’ve never seen any drawings. I’ve seen no construction documents, engineering plan — I have seen zero. I’ve never signed an NDA. I have nothing to give you guys until somebody gives us something.”The state’s recent elections may also come into play in relation to any local data centers. With the election of Deb Haaland as the new governor, the mayor expressed his belief that no one would see a data center in New Mexico for two years as Haaland has committed to signing a moratorium. Duckett specified that if the situation does change at any point, the council is committed to being very open.“The city is always transparent and always follows the law, and so we’ll continue to follow the law,” Duckett said. “And if and when there would be a project that would be presented to the city for any type of overview or review, that would certainly be brought to the public.”Still, his reassurance did not convince everyone. Brandi McAlexander, who had also addressed council with concerns at the beginning of the meeting, said there still was not enough transparency on council’s end.“I feel like they’re playing word games with the community, and they’re hiding behind a very tightly controlled vernacular instead of being clear and transparent with the people,” McAlexander said. “I think that the people have made it very clear in San Juan County that they don’t want this here, and I think that maybe the city council jumped the gun and decided to enter into some NDAs and into discussions, and then instead of being transparent with the people, decided to hide behind, you know, definitions of applications.”Yet transparency may not be enough for all of the protesters, who are seeking a more definitive rejection of data centers from the council. They want a formal commitment that Farmington is not and will not be in talks with anyone in relation to a data center being built in San Juan County, including the city entering into its own moratorium —regardless of what the governor decides to do.And as the recent flooding continues to heavily affect the area, following the severe summer drought, data centers’ relation to water is more relevant than ever before.“I’m here having heard everything tonight, and I think as I think about it, it makes me painfully aware of how precarious the water is in San Juan County, and not only the water supply, which we experienced this summer at the record lows, but also the water quality and what happens after a flood like this,” said resident Mary Rankin in an address to council.“And a juxtaposition with that, then I also know that data centers use water, and data centers also produce wastewater,” she continued. “So, I think that it would behoove all of us — you as a council, us as a city, to step back and say, ‘Data centers are not what we need in San Juan County, and data centers already would put a stress on an already overstressed water system.’”This combination of water problems means that the addition of a data center could place an additional burden on an already struggling community, a problem which one resident called evidence of “systemic issues in San Juan.”“I don’t think that the people can handle that,” McAlexander said. “We need a win. San Juan County hasn’t had a win, and after the floods, we can’t handle another L (loss). We just can’t.”McAlexander also sought to inform locals that they are just as responsible for the needs of Farmington as the council, with the reminder that people have to “come out and participate if you want to see action.”</div></body>

Block Source: tricityrecordnm.com

Misinformation

Clickbait

Old or repetitive news

Explicit content

Location not relevant

“If you bring a data center here…there’s gonna be problems.”. This is the message both private citizens and members of the San Juan County Data Center Dissent Coalition shared with Farmington’s City Council during Tuesday’s meeting. While the council held an informational session on data centers...

Farmington residents push back against potential data center

NewsBreak

“If you bring a data center here…there’s gonna be problems.”. This is the message both private citizens and members of the San Juan County Data Center Diss

Farmington residents push back against potential data center

Comments / 3