San Jose may pause data center approvals as city leaders mull new regulations

Officials in San Jose are proposing a temporary halt on new data center approvals ahead of anticipated stricter rules on their development. On Thursday, Mayor Matt Mahan and councilmembers Pamela Campos, David Cohen, Peter Ortiz and Domingo Candelas said they would introduce a proposal halting new land use approvals for the centers and other large-energy use projects. The proposal would ensure no project would be approved before the council votes on new standards and community benefit requirements, currently scheduled for Dec. 8. "We will not consider any project until we have the strongest possible regulations not just approved, but implemented," the leaders said in a statement, noting they have spent months working with residents. "Allowing projects to slip through before those standards are adopted would be a profound betrayal to every San Joséan who helped shape them," they added. Officials said the proposed new standards would require 100% carbon-neutral electricity, prohibit open-loop cooling centers, require the cleanest backup generators, along with ongoing noise, water and energy restrictions and monitoring requirements. The standards would also include a skilled and trained workforce requirement and prevailing wage requirement. Leaders said the proposal follows months of what they described as "extensive community outreach," which included dozens of meetings with residents, neighborhood associations, environmental advocates, labor, businesses and others. Along with the new rules, Mahan and colleagues are also proposing an urgency ordinance, making the new data center standards effective immediately following the council's scheduled vote. Officials said last month that there were 11 applications for data centers under review in San Jose , the most populous city in Silicon Valley. The proposed new rules come amid a national backlash over data centers. CBS News exit polls taken during the November midterm elections showed big majorities nationally, including Democrats, Republicans and independents, opposed new data centers in their communities. In: Matt Mahan Data Centers San Jose Silicon Valley Featured Local Savings