Will Colorado give data centers a warm embrace, or a cool reception?

About this episode

The episode discusses the implications of data centers in Colorado, focusing on legislative approaches and community concerns.

Data centers, the infrastructure underpinning the artificial intelligence boom, are popping up in communities all across the country, including in Colorado. And with each new build, come more questions from residents about what these structures mean for their utility bills and quality of life. At the State Capitol, lawmakers are choosing between two competing visions of how Colorado should approach data centers — with incentives plus some guardrails, or strictly with regulations. CPR’s Sam Brasch , The Colorado Sun’s Taylor Dolven and KUNC’s Lucas Brady Woods dig into the competing data center bills, one that offers tax breaks to lure centers here and another that requires them to mitigate their impacts. They also discuss the local backlash against these buildings when they start going up in communities, and the politics of it all. Catch up on our latest coverage: CPR News: Colorado bill would require renewable energy for new data centers to guard against rising energy bills CPR News: Colorado lawmakers brace for their biggest battle yet over AI data centers The Colorado Sun & KUNC: Tax breaks vs. renewable energy offsets: Democrats plan to duel over conflicting Colorado data…

People in this episode

Host: Sam Brasch

Guests: Taylor Dolven, Lucas Brady Woods

Topics covered

• data centers
• artificial intelligence
• Colorado legislation
• utility bills
• community impact
• politics

Keywords

• data centers
• Colorado
• legislation
• AI boom
• utility bills
• community backlash
• tax breaks
• renewable energy

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Colorado Public Radio, The Colorado Sun, KUNC

Places: Colorado, north Denver

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