Polis: Data Center Backlash Targets AI Itself
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- Jared Polis told Axios at the Aspen Ideas Festival that data center opposition is "aimed more at AI itself than the infrastructure needed to power it," and said Colorado welcomes the facilities as long as they "reduce our utility rates" and stay consistent with water-use rules.
- Colorado's renewable electricity generation has more than tripled over the past decade while natural gas remains a dominant fuel, an "all of the above" mix Polis credits for his pragmatic energy approach.
- Polis criticized the Trump administration for keeping Colorado coal-fired power plants operating after they were set to shut down, noting coal's share of state electricity fell from 60% in 2014 to 27% in 2024 and arguing federal coal subsidies "are likely to be short-lived."
- Three firefighters were killed the same day as the interview battling a wildfire three hours west of Aspen on the Utah border, with 35 mph gusts pushing smoke into Aspen at pollution levels comparable to Delhi's worst days.
- Colorado has invested in its own aerial firefighting fleet because, as Polis put it, the state can no longer depend on neighbors as wildfires worsen across the West.
- Colorado River basin states face an Oct. 1 deadline to negotiate new operating rules before the federal government intervenes, with Polis warning failure would mean "litigation from all sides."
- Polis, leaving office in January due to term limits, said he would "rather host a town hall on wolves these days" than on data centers.
Why it matters: Colorado has become a microcosm of the national fight over AI's energy and water footprint, and Polis's willingness to embrace data centers alongside an "all of the above" energy mix puts the state on a collision course with residents worried about utility rates and water use, especially as the same weekend's fatal wildfire underscored the climate costs of expanding power demand.
