{"slug": "letters-a-data-center-moratorium-would-benefit-the-environment", "title": "Letters: A data center moratorium would benefit the environment", "summary": "A letter writer argues that California should impose a moratorium on new data centers, citing their consumption of scarce resources and contribution to global warming. The writer points to New York state as a model for such a pause.", "body_md": "**Getting your**\n\n[Trinity Audio](//trinityaudio.ai)player ready...**Submit your letter to the editor via this form. Read more Letters to the Editor.**\n\n#### Data center pause would help environment\n\nRe: “[Pittsburg hosting data center workshop](https://www.mercurynews.com/2026/07/09/pittsburg-hosting-virtual-workshop-following-concerns-about-data-centers/)” (Page B1, July 12).\n\nCalifornia should join New York state and impose a moratorium on new data centers.\n\nData centers are gobbling up scarce resources, including land, water, energy, capital, labor and construction materials. They’re increasing the risk of supercharging global warming.\n\n**David Lerman**\n\n*Berkeley*\n\n#### Berkeley Hopkins Street plan is bad for residents\n\nThe city of Berkeley wants to remove all parking on a stretch of [Hopkins Street](https://berkeleyca.gov/sites/default/files/2022-04/2022-05-10%20Item%2033%20Hopkins%20Corridor%20Project.pdf), a major residential street with small shops. Does the city truly believe Monterey Market’s parking lot provides adequate parking and won’t spill over into approximately 10 different side streets, that these tiny side streets will be able to handle the ingress and egress of hundreds of cars seeking parking daily for shopping at this highly trafficked market hub?\n\nHow can the city not sufficiently take into account what people who live here say about already overwhelming conditions? Or is it really true that the bicycle coalitions, developers and UC own this city? Sadly, I am beginning to believe the council is trying to destroy our city — between upzoning for apartments and stripping out parking.\n\nPlease, have a care for accessibility, the quality of life here, the human scale, the meeting ground for civic life.\n\n**Kathryn Jordan**\n\n*Berkeley*\n\n#### Benefits of coal terminal far outweigh drawbacks\n\nAssemblywoman Mia Bonta has introduced [AB 40](https://legiscan.com/CA/text/AB40/id/3448486) essentially to sabotage the coal export terminal at the Port of Oakland. As expected, the Malthusian troops are being mobilized.\n\nIt’s time to step back. Oakland used to be an industrial city with safe, vibrant, working-class neighborhoods. Irrational hatred of machinery, smokestacks and sweat, plus a perverted banking system that shunned long-term investment, sent us spiraling into hell. Finally, this is turning around nationally. Factories are being built, and trade schools are filling up. Why not here?\n\nCoal exports could be part of the solution. Instead of panicking about “coal dust,” we could look at [the technologies](https://world-nuclear.org/information-library/energy-and-the-environment/clean-coal-technologies) that can minimize the problem and even make Oakland the showcase to the world of clean coal handling. The health benefits of a thriving West Oakland would be immeasurable.\n\n**Hunter Cobb**\n\n*Alameda*\n\n#### Irreverence is key to Democrats’ midterms\n\nRe: “[Sad groveling cannot rebuild a fractured party](https://www.mercurynews.com/2026/07/09/cottle-this-pathetic-groveling-is-no-way-to-rebuild-a-party/)” (Page A6, July 9).\n\nLet’s start with [Mark Twain](https://quotefancy.com/quote/861616/Mark-Twain-Irreverence-is-the-champion-of-liberty-and-its-only-sure-defense): “Irreverence is the champion of liberty and its only sure defense.”\n\nDoes anyone in the leadership of the Democratic Party remember that Kamala Harris had the lead in the polls when she ridiculed Donald Trump? She made fun of him. She was appealing to the electorate. She was following in the great American tradition of giving someone a hard time. This is the ability to call out and make fun of someone’s foibles and foolishness with humor. To have someone face a truth about themselves, and laugh with them, asks, “Are you a friend?” Trump can’t stand the truth. He can’t laugh at himself. When Kamala instead started pandering to Republicans and Independents, she lost.\n\nIn these midterms, the Democrats need to ridicule Trump’s foolishness, then make the Republicans defend him. It would look like Democrats might have a spine and show that Republicans don’t.\n\n**Mike Tracy**\n\n*Oakland*", "url": "https://wpnews.pro/news/letters-a-data-center-moratorium-would-benefit-the-environment", "canonical_source": "https://www.mercurynews.com/2026/07/16/letters-data-center-moratorium-benefit-environment/", "published_at": "2026-07-16 23:30:28+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-07-16 23:48:56.708302+00:00", "lang": "en", "topics": ["ai-infrastructure"], "entities": ["California", "New York"], "alternates": {"html": "https://wpnews.pro/news/letters-a-data-center-moratorium-would-benefit-the-environment", "markdown": "https://wpnews.pro/news/letters-a-data-center-moratorium-would-benefit-the-environment.md", "text": "https://wpnews.pro/news/letters-a-data-center-moratorium-would-benefit-the-environment.txt", "jsonld": "https://wpnews.pro/news/letters-a-data-center-moratorium-would-benefit-the-environment.jsonld"}}