rich 1.0 Action Network https://actionnetwork.org <link href='https://actionnetwork.org/css/style-embed-v3.css' rel='stylesheet' type='text/css' /><script src='https://actionnetwork.org/widgets/v6/petition/approve-data-center-moratorium-2?format=js&source=widget'></script><div id='can-petition-area-approve-data-center-moratorium-2' style='width: 100%'><!-- this div is the target for our HTML insertion --></div> Gila Resources Information Project https://actionnetwork.org/groups/gila-resources-information-project https://can2-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/petitions/photos/000/826/653/normal/SiteLayer1LocationMap-Hachita_NM.png Tell the Grant County Commission to Approve a One-Year Moratorium on Data Centers On October 22, the Grant County Commission will vote on a one-year moratorium on data centers and large-scale infrastructure projects. This temporary pause will allow the Commission to gather expertise, information and public input in order to evaluate the need for county-level rules to safeguard public health and county resources from data centers. The moratorium ordinance was developed in response to the Site Layer 1 Data Center proposal in southern Grant County that could consume enormous amounts of natural gas and potentially thousands of acre-feet of scarce groundwater, while producing millions of tons of greenhouse gas emissions and other air pollutants every year. Backed by the multi-billion-dollar private equity firm, Corner, and proposed by Granite Renewables, the Site Layer 1 data center would place a significant demand on our energy and natural resources. According to a public notice published in the Silver City Daily Press, the data center would be powered by 32 natural gas-fueled engines, each capable of producing 9.4 megawatts, for a total of 300.8 megawatts. The facility could consume approximately 2.3 million cubic feet of natural gas every hour, enough gas to power 900 homes for an entire year. Its annual carbon emissions would be equivalent to the emissions from approximately 282,600 cars. The project’s potential impacts extend far beyond its enormous energy consumption. A data center of this size using wet cooling could consume as much as 6,535 acre-feet of water every year, nearly three times the annual water use of Silver City. The likely source is scarce groundwater from the Hachita Basin, which spans southern Grant, southwest Luna, and eastern Hidalgo counties. Despite the scale of this project, no application for water rights has been filed yet with the Office of the State Engineer. The facility could also cause a public nuisance through noise and light pollution, impose costs on tax payers for infrastructure and emergency services, and raise our electricity rates by using enormous amounts of natural gas. Tell the Grant County Commission to approve the one-year moratorium on data centers to ensure that they don’t impose significant costs on Grant County residents and impact our water resources, air quality, and public health. Sign the petition below and add your personalized comment. https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/approve-data-center-moratorium-2