Rejections

A necessary precursor to the strategy of rejecting data center applications that fail to comply with local government goals is to have strong city or county goals. These goals must be developed in consultation with community members, and should center disadvantaged communities.

Ensure that each major stage of the approval process is reviewed independently.

The burden should be on the data center developer to prove how the project will fit within city goals and limits, with clear and transparent timelines, plans, and accountability measures. Failure to effectively demonstrate this should result in a rejection.

Ensure that a city has the ability to enforce the agreements made throughout the approval process. Enforcement must occur after the data center is approved, at any point during development or implementation of the data center, and once the data center is in operation on a consistent basis. The local government must also create the ability to institute penalties that go beyond nominal fines, including revoking a data center’s permit or certificate of occupancy.

Note: The specific mechanisms for continued monitoring, enforcement, and penalties will depend on each component of the application and are outlined in each corresponding section below.