U.S. Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández (D-N.M.) on Thursday issued a call for a “pause” on data centers in New Mexico, and released a set of standards she said such developments should meet before receiving approval. … Leger Fernández’s announcement also comes as state lawmakers gear up to consider a data center moratorium during next year’s legislative session. … Leger Fernández, in a news release, said data centers should abide by certain provisions if elected, which she titled the No Blank Checks for Data Centers Principles. Those principles include being able to demonstrate that a data center won’t increase electricity bills or negatively impact water resources and must meet the state’s renewable energy requirements. 

Other data center water use and regulation news:

• KJZZ (Phoenix): Tech companies want to build data centers on tribal lands — and tribes are moving to stop them
• Time: The data center debate taking over Native American tribes
• ABC15 (Phoenix): How should Arizona handle data centers? Attorney General Kris Mayes, Warren Petersen disagree
• The New York Times: A spirited battle over data centers