Although California lawmakers recently passed a suite of laws intended to bring transparency to the development of new data centers, local communities across the state are signaling that disclosure isn’t enough. California currently ranks third among U.S. states in overall data center density, according to independent trackers like the US Data Center Map, with the state home to 366 of such facilities that are either fully operational, under construction, or moving through the planning process. Local elected officials are proposing data center moratoriums to slow that momentum — if not stop it in its tracks. … Opponents say these energy-hungry facilities strain power grids, potentially deplete water supplies and pollute the air, and contribute to broader economic anxieties around AI-driven job elimination. 

Other data center water use and regulation news:

• FOX13 (Salt Lake City): The agency that pushed Kevin O’Leary’s data center project gets grilled by Utah lawmakers