Rising electric rates and the ongoing waste of precious water resources are things that affect all of us. I have personally experienced the financial burden caused by escalating electricity bills and the alarming depletion of local water supplies. Taking concrete steps to address these issues is not only urgent but also essential for our community's well-being and for sustainable development in our region.

Data centers, the backbone of our increasingly digital world, are responsible for significant energy consumption and water use. Research indicates that data centers can consume up to 2% of the total global electricity and use vast amounts of water for cooling servers. As we expand our digital footprint, it is crucial that the expansion is done responsibly without compromising our natural resources or burdening the average customer with inflating utility costs.

It's time to propose legislation that mandates data centers to generate their own power through renewable sources. This shift could include utilizing solar or wind energy, which not only aligns with global sustainability goals but also greatly reduces the load on the existing grid, helping stabilize our electric rates. Additionally, we must insist that cooling systems in these facilities are self-contained, conserving our water and ensuring that we are not exacerbating water scarcity issues.

Such measures are not only feasible but essential as a step towards safeguarding our environmental resources while supporting technological growth. We need national and regional policymakers to recognize this crisis and act swiftly to put such regulations into place.

Join me in calling for a law that requires data centers to power themselves and manage their operations without depleting our shared resources. Sign this petition to protect both our wallets and the planet.