EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — An El Paso city representative who initially voted to approve an incentive agreement that paved the way for a META data center in Northeast El Paso is now proposing a policy that would prevent the city from pursuing another data center project.
Chris Canales, who represents District 8 in West, Central, South-Central and Downtown El Paso, announced Tuesday, May 19, on social media that he is launching a proposal titled “Policy Direction to Not Pursue Data Centers.”
The proposal is listed as an agenda item for City Council’s meeting on Tuesday, May 26.
“We know much more now than we did even a few years ago about the massive electricity, water, and infrastructure demands associated with large, AI-supporting data center facilities. As a desert community, we have to think carefully about what kinds of growth align with our long-term future. In my opinion, hyperscale data centers aren’t the right fit for the Borderland,” Canales said in the post…