Imperial Valley is our home. It is where families have built their lives, where neighbors know each other, and where water and power are not just utilities — they are lifelines.

A massive, nearly one million-square-foot data center is being proposed just outside the city of Imperial. According to public reporting, it could use nearly double the electricity Imperial County consumed in 2024 and require hundreds of thousands of gallons of water every day. At the same time, our local utility has stated its current infrastructure would not be sufficient to handle a load of this magnitude.

Imperial County residents already face frequent power outages and ongoing calls to conserve water. Many families moved here for stability, affordability, and a quieter way of life. The scale of this project threatens to fundamentally change that.

This is not about being anti-technology or anti-jobs. It is about protecting our community’s long-term well-being. Any project of this size — with this level of impact — deserves the highest level of scrutiny, transparency, and public input. Instead, the developer has sought to move the project forward without a full environmental review.

We deserve better.

We call on the Imperial County Board of Supervisors and the Imperial County Planning Commission to reject approval of this data center project and prioritize the health, safety, water security, and energy stability of local residents.

Economic development should uplift Imperial Valley families — not place additional strain on the very resources we depend on.

Imperial County is not a testing ground. It is our home. And we are standing together to protect it.