Nevadans get few details into data centers receiving tax breaks — and it might be illegal

We banned evaporative cooling in new commercial construction in 2024. All the new data centers have to use closed loop systems that are around 100x more efficient than the old ones. The bigger issue is the energy usage. The demand from data centers royally screwed our projections to hit our renewable energy goal by 2030 and there was no verbiage added in the amendment to prevent the power company from charging more due to the increased infrastructure costs.  That plus the shady tax cuts mean all the government ans business folk that are involved in the data center deals get their bag while us normal folk get increased energy costs and less tax benefit from these places being here. 

I really wish the mainstream media faced charges for pushing this sensationalist narrative. Data Centers are massively problematic but it's NOT because of the QUANTITY of water they use. Even in Nevada there are tons of industries that have far heavier water usage demands. They really don't use much compared to many many industries.The problem is in how they are allowed to hook directly to the municipal supply. While heavy industry is usually required to have an expensive direct supply line to the local municipal facility ran directly, hooked up to reserve and overflow tanks to level demand, and most often drawing from the non-potable water supply, data centers are never required to have any of that done, and hook directly to the consumer grid. THAT is why their demand spikes disrupt local pressure and supply, drive direct price increases, etc. we could easily supply their water needs if they were required to have a proper industrial supply hookup. This isn't a defense of the way data centers pay next to no taxes and cause massive disruption, it's a call for informed action demands. "Data Centers use 11 quadrillion gallons of water a second!!!!!!!!" Gets clicks and outrage engagement, but if we want actual progress we need realistic demands and an actual understanding of what's going on. Thet don't need cool clean water, evaporative cooling is an entirely seperate process from the active liquid cooling used in the racks. That water amounts to an almost negligible amount of their consumption and is generally closed loop, utilizing a heat exchanger to transfer waste heat from the internal server cooling loops to the external evaporative system.  They need to pay proper taxes and stop using civilian power and water infrastructures, like other heavy industries. They need to be required to have captive closed loop evaporative condensation collectors to recycle the water. All things they don't want to pay for. Their actual day to day demands are a drop in the bucket compared to almost any manufacturing industry, and they aren't going anywhere.

No different than that ugly ass roomba looking stadium they built. Stupid thing cost taxpayers so much money and we see basically zero benefit as a community.