(FOX40.COM) \u2014 A set of bills regulating data center operations in California was passed Monday, but Sacramento officials remain hesitant to welcome the industry to the city.<\/p>\n
State Governor Gavin Newsom signed seven bills Monday, which he said will help communities make more informed decisions about proposed data center projects.<\/p>\n
“With these laws, we are ensuring that Californians remain in the driver’s seat \u2014 and that those profiting from data centers aren’t doing so at our expense,” Newsom said in a news release Monday.<\/p>\n
The bills cover a wide range of bases, from data centers’ utility usage to environmental impact reporting. At every stage of a data center project \u2014 from permit application to operation \u2014 operators must submit reports on public utility usage.<\/p>\n
New legislation also employs multiple strategies to shift the financial burden of water and utility costs from residential customers to the centers themselves. These methods include tariff fees, special electricity rates, and increased oversight from the Public Utilities Commission.<\/p>\n
Gov. Newsom signed the laws to empower municipalities to “weigh the economic costs and benefits” of data center projects, according to the Monday release. Some Sacramento government officials, however, are still skeptical of centers within city limits.<\/p>\n
Councilmember Mai Vang, District 7, said the newly minted laws aren’t enough to sway her feelings towards data centers and called for a moratorium on any proposed projects in the city.<\/p>\n
“I’m glad the state is stepping up but Sacramento needs to do more to stop billionaires from hurting our communities and protect rate payers from rising costs,” Vang said in a statement to FOX40 on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Mayor Pro Tem Eric Guerra similarly made his stance on data centers clear.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“Data centers are not permitted in Sacramento and I strongly oppose allowing them in the city when there are too many unanswered questions surrounding impacts to our water and air,” Guerra wrote in a social media post Sept. 15.<\/p>\n
Other officials are more neutral toward letting projects make their way into Sacramento. Mayor Kevin McCarty said the city plans to create a policy that “considers potential impacts on our energy, water, infrastructure and neighborhoods, and the guardrails we would need to put in place to protect Sacramento residents.”<\/p>\n
“With growing interest and concern around data centers, I want Sacramento to be prepared if a project comes our way,” said McCarty.<\/p>\n