California-based data center contractor Raeden is seeking the City of Colorado Springs’ approval to build a data center less than 5 miles from Garden of the Gods National Landmark. At a town hall on April 7, Raeden COO Jason Green left community members with more questions than answers, about noise, utility costs, and water use.

Raeden has yet to disclose exactly who would be using their data center, but would be “most likely an AI company.” The proposal outlines that the center will use 50 Megawatts of power, which Green described as being the power draw “at the start.” With no clear parameters as to how much power will be used, no caps on water usage, and no agreements on the limitations on future use, the fight is far from over. People are raising their concerns, loud and clear, and the quality of resident’s lives cannot be sacrificed for profit! Email your City Planner letting them know that you reject wasteful and harmful AI infrastructure in our backyard!

Communities across the country have been coming together to draw a line in the sand when it comes to predatory AI companies and their data center infrastructure partners. The city of Denver has already placed a moratorium on new Data Centers, and recently in San Marcos, TX, their city council rejected a data center proposal after hundreds of community members rallied, citing drought and environmental concerns. After experiencing the warmest winter on record, Colorado Springs cannot afford to have this infrastructure rear its ugly head again. When this facility previously operated at a lower wattage, nearby residents complained the cooling fans were so loud they couldn’t carry on outdoor conversations. Exploitative AI infrastructure has no place in our neighborhoods!

You can use the preformatted letter or draft your own to tell them No to the proposed Garden of the Gods Data Center!