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Saguache County commissioners urge state 'guardrails' on data centers, send emergency letter to governor
Summary
The board voted 3-0 Feb. 24 to send an emergency letter to Gov. Polis backing Colorado Communities for Climate Action’s call for limits on data center development, citing constituent concerns over water use and infrastructure capacity; county officials said no specific data center proposal is pending.
The Saguache County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously Feb. 24 to sign and send an emergency letter urging the governor to support statewide "guardrails" for data center siting and operation.
Commissioner Liza Marron framed the action as a response to constituent concern: "We have heard loud and clear from our constituents and due to the potential environmental impacts on our water and the affect of our constituents paying for these data centers," Marron said during her motion to send the letter and support Colorado Communities for Climate Action (CC4CA). The board approved the motion 3-0 and directed staff to submit the letter before the Feb. 28 deadline.
The item followed multiple pieces of correspondence the county received opposing potential data center development. Staff summarized emails from residents expressing worries about water scarcity, grid impacts and inadequate local infrastructure. Two emails noted in the packet—one from Kyle Woehler and another from Brittany Bates—argued that data centers' resource demands are incompatible with the county's current infrastructure and environmental health. Those authors requested county-level opposition to data center projects.
Board Chair Tom McCracken clarified during the review of correspondence that "there is not a proposed data center development at this time," signaling the board was responding to constituent concern and statewide policy discussions rather than a local permit pending before the county.
Why it matters: The San Luis Valley, where Saguache County sits, is an agriculturally dependent, water‑limited region. Commissioners and residents who have raised objections said they fear new large-scale computing facilities would increase competition for water and strain roads and power systems.
What the board did and what's next: The board authorized staff to sign a support letter for CC4CA and to forward an emergency letter to Governor Polis calling for state-level guardrails on data center siting and operations. County staff also flagged the Feb. 28 submission deadline and asked the board to act at the Feb. 24 meeting because the board would not meet again before the cutoff.
The action is a policy-level expression of concern; it does not ban data center projects locally and commissioners noted that any future specific development proposal would follow the county's normal land-use and permitting processes.
