Debate over data centers is making its way to the center stage in Laramie, 50 miles west on Interstate 80 where massive data center development — and pushback against it — has exploded in Cheyenne.
A number of local residents spoke out at the Laramie City Council's meeting Tuesday night with concerns about the potential for data center development in and around that city, even though nothing about data centers was on the council’s agenda.
Richard Martin led the charge after taking to social media prior to the meeting to rally people to attend and speak out against data centers within Laramie city limits.
At the meeting, he was the first to speak out, urging the City Council to be proactive by passing a permanent moratorium on data centers in the city.
“Data centers empower AI. And what is AI? Technology that performs tasks that typically require human intelligence,” he said, dressed in a white suit jacket and blue button-down shirt. “This isn’t a harmless tech upgrade.”
The Meeting
At Tuesday’s council meeting, Mayor Sharon Cumbie said she was aware “a number of people may be there to speak to the council about data centers.
“Data centers is not on the agenda tonight,” she said, repeating that, “there is nothing on the agenda about data centers.”
As a result, she said, comments related to data centers would have to be made during public comment on non-agenda items. Those comments are limited to no more than 3 minutes per person and 30 minutes overall.
The mayor asked for people’s comments to be kept shorter to allow for as many people to speak as possible.
Laramie resident Peggy McCracken supports a permanent moratorium, telling the council about communities being “run over by billion-dollar corporations who promise the sun and moon and the stars.
“People think it’s a great idea until they find out all the ramifications."
She suggested the city organize a data center task force.
Stephen Magnifico, who works for the Powder River Basin Resource Council, also said he suppors a permanent moratorium on data centers and suggested to the council ways to “fight back against corporate domination.”
The council heard just 18 minutes of public commentary, much less than the 30 minutes Cumbie was expecting.
She later told Cowboy State Daily that she talked to some people after the meeting who had intended to speak but did not because everything they wanted to say had been said.
“They just wanted to make sure we were listening,” she said.
At the meeting, Cumbie said the city of Larmie has received no proposals for data centers and is not actively considering any plans for data centers.
But she acknowledged that discussion around data center development is valuable and necessary.
Throwing a Pebble Into A Pond
According to Cumbie, Tuesday’s public comments were largely spurred by Laramie Business Alliance President Brad Enzi’s position about data centers at a City Council work session last week.
Cumbie said Enzi challenged the council to think critically about all aspects of data centers and Laramie’s place in welcoming or denying data center projects.
The goal of those comments, Enzi told Cowboy State Daily, was to drive dialogue and encourage people to seriously consider what Laramie’s expectations should be when it comes to data center development.
“My comment was really to say, ‘These are happening. We should have a thorough process that’s well vetted if they’re going to exist in the city limits,'” he said. “What I did is, I threw a pebble in a pond — with intention. I want these dialogues to take place.”
Data Centers The 'Laramie Way'
Enzi said his call for public dialogue about data center development in Laramie ties well to the executive order Gov. Mark Gordon issued Wednesday, which told state agencies to “promote responsible development of data centers and other large-load facilities.”
Gordon released the order as local governments are creating their own data center rules.
Gordon’s order talks about doing data centers the “Wyoming way,” Enzi said. “My comment was to get us to do them the Laramie way.”
For Enzi, that means generating a debate that leads to a clear and consistent process of considering data center proposals. It’s important that these conversations happen with a broad audience, Enzi said. He said people should be engaged, regardless of where they stand on data centers.
He also acknowledged there’s public concern around data centers.
“Some of it is based on bad information,” he said. “But I think all questions are legitimate.”
“Our answer can’t be as a state that we always want ‘no,’” Enzi added. “We can say we know that we’re a special place and that there’s a high bar to do business here.”
Joint City-County Work Session Planned
Cumbie said the Laramie and Albany County are fast-tracking a joint work session to explore possible future data center development. That work session will likely happen in July.
At Tuesday’s meeting, she said there would a higher likelihood of data center development happening in the county than in the city, because the city is limited in space.
“It needs to be a community collaboration,” she said.
Now, city staff is compiling information that will explore the scope and ramifications of data centers. Cumbie said she wants to make sure that her staff has adequate time to thoroughly gather the latest information, so the joint groups are well informed when they come together.
The work session “will allow us a good, deep dive to determine regulations that may be particular to our city and county,” she said.
It’s important to look at the whole picture, she added.
“I think that’s one of the problems with data centers, is sometimes they’re not looking at it wholistically,” Cumbie said.
The topic has been hot since the rapid data center expansion in and around Cheynne, she said, adding, “People on city staff and council are just concerned about the integrity of our community and what the people of our community want.
“We may be less than an hour’s drive away (from Cheyenne), but the two cities are completely different,” she said.
Kate Meadows can be reached at kate@cowboystatedaily.com.