California voters considering Proposition 45 will decide the fate of a sweeping infrastructure measure that opponents warn could render the state’s brand-new data center laws virtually toothless. … [S]ome legal scholars and environmental advocates say that the proposition’s technical language creates a loophole. By expediting environmental reviews under the California Environmental Quality Act for broad categories of projects … the measure could quietly allow data centers to bypass recent state safeguards and local scrutiny. … The debate over Prop. 45’s data center impact comes at a pivotal moment in California’s AI infrastructure boom. Gov. Gavin Newsom recently signed seven landmark data center laws aimed at forcing operators to disclose water usage, pay for their own grid upgrades, and undergo environmental review.

Other data center water use and regulation news:

• San Diego Union-Tribune: Was reaction to a potential data center near Old Town San Diego overblown?
• Your Wyoming Link (Casper): The next water fight: Data centers enter the Western water debate