Stockton residents are questioning whether new local data centers would bring enough economic benefits to outweigh potential effects on the environment and surrounding communities.
In the city’s first of three planned community listening sessions, held Thursday at August Knodt Elementary School, public input was sought on potential data center development in Stockton.
Data centers house computer servers and other equipment used to store, process and transmit digital information. They support services such as online banking, cloud storage, internet applications and artificial intelligence, and can require significant amounts of electricity and, depending on their cooling systems, water. The facilities have become a divisive issue across the country, with public backlash against the power-hungry centers…