Arizonans who oppose data centers should 'pledge' to go offline, Chamber of Commerce says

A day after Attorney General Kris Mayes called for a data center ban due to water and energy concerns, the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry is challenging supporters of a moratorium to commit to going tech free.

The unofficial “Arizona Offline Pledge” says those opposed to data center development should also avoid using social media, artificial intelligence, streaming services, online banking and more.

Courtney Coolidge, the chamber’s executive vice president, says the pledge is intended to highlight the perks that come with data centers at a moment of heightened backlash.

“It’s obviously presented as tongue-in-cheek. We are not serious about the pledge, but we are serious about the policy. There’s legitimate concerns about water, energy and location of these facilities. But the conclusion is not to stop building, it's to solve the problems,” Coolidge told KJZZ.

With regard to water concerns, Coolidge says power generation, data centers and other industrial users account for about 7% of the state’s supply.

“So I would just say the scale of concern should also match the scale of the facts,” Coolidge said.

Data centers are driving record energy demands across the state’s two largest utilities, which could contribute to higher emissions and air quality concerns. But Coolidge says 80% of the Valley’s air pollution comes from outside the state.

“You could take every single car off the road, and it wouldn’t change our air quality. And so, you know, a moratorium doesn’t address those policy considerations. A conversation does, and we’re willing to come to the table and have those conversations,” she said.

Data centers are widely unpopular in Arizona. Noble Predictive Insights polled over 1,000 registered voters and found more than half opposed the construction of new large scale data centers.

Coolidge says the chamber is aware data centers are not polling well and that’s led some officials, especially those seeking election, to call for an end to development. But, she says it's best to remain cautious about extreme positions on either side, whether pro- or anti-development.