Buena Vista data center proposal draws scrutiny from candidates over water, energy and permits

Concerns about a proposed data center near Buena Vista took center stage at an Amador High School candidate forum, where multiple candidates and supervisors urged caution and full environmental review before any approval.

A forum participant said the project materials identify Green Cloud, a New York‑based firm, as the company promoting the site and described a package that would pair a returning biomass cogeneration plant with a proposed data center. "The company that is working on that project is Green Cloud out of New York," the speaker told the audience and encouraged residents to review the developer's investor video and planning materials.

Panelists repeatedly said the county planning department had not received an application for a use permit at the time of the forum and urged the public not to treat promotional materials as final project commitments. Several candidates raised three specific concerns: how much water the data center would require, whether the project would rely on local power or require new transmission capacity, and whether the economic benefits promised (jobs and local investment) would materialize given the region's infrastructure constraints.

Speakers noted that a permitted biomass cogeneration plant at the site could provide local benefits—green‑waste disposal and local fuel for power generation—but they said any co‑located data center would require a resource‑adequacy plan and clear EIR analysis to establish water demand, cooling methods, noise and health impacts.

No permits or decisions were made at the forum. Multiple participants asked county planning staff and supervisors to ensure that any future application include clear disclosures about water use, energy sourcing and community impacts before the county considers approval.