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House panel approves task force to study water planning for data centers
Summary
HCR 61 will create a special task force to study interagency consultation around data centers and natural-resource planning; the committee adopted an amendment to add legislative appointees and reported the resolution favorable.
The House Natural Resources Committee on May 28, 2025, approved House Concurrent Resolution 61, which creates a special task force to study interagency consultation processes for data centers and to improve natural-resource planning and management.
Representative Coates introduced HCR 61 as a vehicle to examine water resources in connection with the state's rapidly expanding data-center footprint. "I'm just bringing this resolution so we can create a task force so we can start talking about the water resources in connection with the data centers," Representative Coates said.
The committee adopted amendment set 35,98, which adds one additional member each from the House and Senate appointed by the respective chairs of the natural-resources committees and allows the task-force chair to add additional members as necessary. Representative Coates moved the amendment and then moved the resolution favorable; the committee reported HCR 61 favorable with no recorded opposition.
What happens next: the resolution will establish the task force for study and the committee indicated it expects the panel to coordinate across agencies to produce recommendations on how water resources and permitting should be handled for large industrial water users such as data centers.
