EL PASO, Texas (KFOX14\/CBS4) \u2014 Residents in Montana Vista and nearby neighborhoods are raising alarms about a proposed data center to be built at Fort Bliss, which they say could bring major impacts to water, air quality, and electricity costs across El Paso.<\/p>\n
Since the fall of 2025, the Sembrando Esperanza Coalition has opposed data centers in El Paso County, including the META AI Data Center in the City of El Paso. <\/p>\n
The coalition said one of its member organizations has received confirmation that a private company, Carlyle, will be building a data center on land it wants to lease from Fort Bliss.<\/p>\n
RELATED: <\/a>US Army announces agreement with private industry for Fort Bliss data center lease<\/a><\/p>\n If we allow it, the Fort Bliss Data Center will be in our backyard in Montana Vista, Homestead Meadows and the Rich Beem neighborhood. Make no mistake, though, all of El Paso will be impacted,\u201d said Ralph Carrasco, president of Empowering Area Communities & Households (EACH). \u201cThese data centers will consume our region\u2019s water, pollute our shared air and increase our utility prices down the line.<\/p>\n Carrasco also said residents in Montana Vista and Homestead Meadows have already received notices about transmission lines that may be trespassing onto their property. <\/p>\n \u201cIn addition, the energy consumption will affect property rights. Residents of Montana Vista and Homestead Meadows have already received notices about the transmission lines that may be trespassing onto their property. Who will these new lines benefit? The META McCloud Facility. There is no escaping the impact of data centers in our region,\u201d Carrasco said.<\/p>\n Mario Solano, vice president of EACH, criticized what he described as rising electricity rates and the energy demands of large data centers.<\/p>\n \u201cJust like with water, we keep hearing that we have to conserve energy to help our environment and to save money. We spent thousands of dollars in solar panels to do both. And for what, so that META and now Carlyle can consume exorbitant amounts of electricity while EPE continues to raise our rates? These data centers are terrible for our local environment and economy,\u201d Solano said.<\/p>\n Saul Gonzalez, an organizer with Sembrando Esperanza, framed the issue as part of a broader climate challenge.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are in a climate crisis and our elected leaders, business recruiters, and corporations need to meet the moment, not continue to contribute to the problem,\u201d Gonzalez said.<\/p>\n EACH and Sembrando Esperanza said they will hold a press conference at 5 p.m. Monday, March 30, at The Beast Urban Rec. Center, 13501 Jason Crandall, ahead of the City of El Paso\u2019s meeting on data centers.<\/p>\n The Sembrando Esperanza Coalition said it is led by residents of nine neighborhoods in El Paso County and that its members and partners organize for economic and environmental justice and civic engagement.<\/p>\n