Data Center Community Diligence Research Note

Data Center Community Diligence Research Note

National data-center estimates provide context but cannot establish one project's local impact. The project record must control.

The Department of Energy's 2024 LBNL-based report and current resource hub describe growing U.S. electricity demand. GAO's 2025 generative AI assessment says environmental estimates vary widely because companies disclose limited infrastructure, energy, emissions, and water data.

The local diligence record should identify the applicant, owner, operator, site, phases, planned IT load, total facility load, annual electricity, utility agreement, interconnection upgrades, generation, cost allocation, demand response, and outage assumptions.

Water records should separate source, withdrawal, consumptive use, discharge, peak and annual demand, treatment, chemicals, sewer capacity, drought operation, reclaimed supply, and cooling technology.

Air records should identify backup generator count, capacity, fuel, test and emergency hours, permits, controls, monitoring, stack and emission assumptions, and cumulative site emissions. Federal stationary-engine resources do not replace state and local permits.

Economic records should distinguish construction and permanent jobs, wages, residency, vendor spend, tax revenue, exemptions, abatements, grants, infrastructure subsidies, public-service cost, reporting, audit, and clawbacks.

Emergency and land records include fire, battery systems, hazardous materials, responder access, mutual aid, traffic, noise, light, stormwater, wetlands, cultural resources, and decommissioning.

Approval should turn material representations into enforceable terms with continuing public reports. The transcript's named-site allegations remain excluded until utility, permit, environmental, enforcement, public-health, or court records are assembled.