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Assembly committee hears expert and industry testimony on bill to require data centers to report and estimate water use
Summary
The California Assembly Local Government Committee heard testimony on AB 93, a bill that would require data centers to estimate water use when applying for business licenses and report actual consumption; academic and nonprofit witnesses called for transparency to protect strained water supplies, while industry groups warned of technical and security concerns.
The California Assembly Local Government Committee heard testimony on AB 93 on the environmental and operational impacts of data centers, including proposals to require those facilities to estimate water use in business-license applications and to report actual consumption on renewal.
Supporters — including Assemblymember (presenting) and witnesses from academia and environmental groups — said the bill is a measured response to rapid data-center growth that can add significant demand on local water systems. Shaoda Yuan, an associate professor at the University of California, Riverside, described technical aspects of data-center cooling and cited research estimating California data-center water use at about 5 billion liters in 2023, with possible growth through 2028. “Both the annual total water usage and peak water usage are important to…
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