Jamie Smith

On concerns about hyperscale data centers

As District 15's State Senator, I've been hearing the concerns of South Dakota citizens and raising them in the legislature. This issue unites people across the political spectrum, representing a broad array of concerned viewpoints over data center developments. Many are concerned about the environmental impacts of hyperscale data centers, with reports of excessive water and energy usage becoming common for existing centers. Even as supporters have touted environment-minded advancements in technology, there are still legitimate concerns over the impact these centers will have on our land and water. Many are also concerned with the impact on our community members, with noise pollution becoming a big concern for those living near proposed data center sites. We're also concerned with who will foot the bill for these centers, especially as our energy grid is strained. Developers have pledged data centers will bring new jobs and won't increase energy costs for South Dakotans, but these promises don't have a lot of evidence to back them up. Others are concerned about allowing out-of-state developers to profit off our state, with corporations asking for special favors from our government. These are legitimate concerns, and they must be addressed by our next Mayor.

How they’d address those concerns

As data center concerns have emerged, I've been at the forefront of the conversation by making space or folks to share their concerns. I attended the City Council meeting where many folks felt they weren't heard, and put together a Data Center Town Hall to ensure that everyone was a part of the conversation. During the legislative session, I cast a deciding "NO" vote on allowing thirty years of tax breaks to data center developers. I've said it before: if data centers want to be in our Sioux Falls community, they must be upstanding citizens. We need guarantees that data centers won't harm our environment. We need guarantees that Sioux Falls taxpayers won't foot the energy bill. We need guarantees that the money made through data centers will benefit our city. Until all of those conditions are met, I will not be supportive of data center development in Sioux Falls. This issue isn't going away, and we need a Mayor committed to full transparency and community collaboration. As your Mayor, I will ensure that we make space for every voice in this conversation and look forward to continued discussions on how to address data center development in Sioux Falls.