Friday, 2 October 2026

Ben McAdams and Riley Owen set out competing conditions for data center development during a debate at Salt Lake Community College, where they met as the Democratic and Republican candidates for Utah's newly redrawn Congressional District 1.

McAdams said data centers do not need massive government handouts to be built. He said they should minimize reliance on fossil fuels, use clean and renewable energy, avoid drawing water from the Great Salt Lake watershed, and be developed responsibly.

Owen directed his terms at developers, telling them to pay their taxes, be water positive and carbon negative, and avoid harming the grid and the lands.

Amazon announced new commitments to build support for its US data centers and pushed back on criticism of the facilities, according to Semafor Net Zero.

The company committed to spending more than USD 1 billion over five years on free community college, trades training and home energy-efficiency upgrades in data center counties, Semafor Net Zero reported.

Amazon also vowed to publish its energy and water use annually.

AWS CEO Matt Garman directly responded to what he described as myths about the facilities, including claims that they consume too much water, drive up energy costs and emit pollution, according to Semafor Net Zero.