[00:00:01]
CALLED ORDER THE CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION ON THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 10TH, 2026 AT 5:00 PM AN ANNOUNCEMENT OF QUORUM AT 5:03 PM WE'RE GONNA START OFF WITH CITIZEN COMMENT.WE DON'T HAVE ANYONE SIGNED UP TO SPEAK.
[a. Discussion regarding the regulation of data centers in Baytown.]
TO TWO A DISCUSSION REGARDING THE REGULATION OF DATA CENTERS IN BAYTOWN, MR. MARTIN SCRIBNER, UH, THANK YOU MAYOR AND COUNCIL.UM, MARTIN SCRIBNER PLANNING IN DEVELOPMENT SERVICES.
SO, UM, EVERYBODY AT THE DAIS HERE, IF, UM, IF YOU'VE NEVER HEARD OF DATA CENTERS, PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND.
SO, UM, TODAY WE'RE NOT HERE TO TALK ABOUT THE SORT OF MORAL IMPLICATIONS OF DATA CENTERS.
WE'RE NOT HERE TO TALK ABOUT, UM, KIND OF, YOU KNOW, VERY, THE VERY DETAILED STUFF.
WE ARE REALLY KIND OF DOING A HIGH LEVEL OVERVIEW, AND THEN WE WANT TO TALK ABOUT A COUPLE OF VERY SPECIFIC THINGS.
SO, UM, THERE'S REALLY TWO DIFFERENT OBJECTIVES.
WE HAVE AN IMMEDIATE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT THE ULDC, THAT THE REGULATIONS ARE ADDRESSING WHAT WE NEED THEM TO ADDRESS, AND THEN WE HAVE, UH, A FUTURE NEED.
SO WE, WE HAVE A SORT OF A STOP GAP, AND THEN WE HAVE, OKAY, LONG TERM, WHAT ARE WE DOING WITH THIS? UM, AS A TOWN, BAYTOWN IS VERY UNIQUELY POSITIONED AS A FUTURE LOCATION OF DATA CENTERS.
UM, BUT THE REGULAR REGULATORY TOOLS, SO OUR REGULATIONS ARE, ARE NOT REALLY SET UP FOR THAT RIGHT NOW, BUT WHAT, WHAT COULD WE DO? AND THEN WE WANT TO LOOK AT THE PROS AND CONS OF EACH OF THE DIFFERENT APPROACHES.
AND THEN WE WANT TO TALK ABOUT, UM, THE BALANCE THAT WE WOULD NEED TO ACHIEVE IN AN, IN REGULATIONS MOVING FORWARD.
SO FIRST, LET'S TALK ABOUT THAT GAP IN THE ULDC.
RIGHT NOW, THE REGULATIONS DO NOT DEFINE A DATA CENTER, AND THEY DO NOT, UM, MENTION IT IN THE ULDC IN ANY MEANINGFUL WAY.
UM, IT DOES REFERENCE DATA PROCESSING CENTERS, BUT WE SEE THAT AS AN ANTIQUATED TERM.
THAT'S SOMETHING THAT IF YOU THINK OF A BUNCH OF PEOPLE SITTING IN AN OFFICE, UM, TYPING INFORMATION IN, LIKE THE OLD SORT OF DATA, UM, ENTRY TYPE THING, THAT'S THE WAY WE WOULD SEE THAT DEFINITION.
UH, IN THE, UM, IN THE CODE, UH, THOSE DATA PROCESSING CENTERS ARE CURRENTLY ALLOWED IN ALL COMMERCIAL AND MIXED USE DISTRICTS AND IN LIGHT INDUSTRIAL.
BUT AGAIN, THAT IS NOT WHAT WE, WE'VE HAD THAT PRESENTED TO US AS THIS IS THE SAME THING.
IT HAS NOT BEEN INTERPRETED AS THE SAME THING.
SO RIGHT NOW THE LANGUAGE IN THE CODE NEEDS TO BE UPDATED SO THAT WE HAVE A MODERN DEFINITION OF DATA CENTERS, AND THEN WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT THE ZONING IS CLEAR AND APPROPRIATE.
UM, SO LET'S START OUT MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE ALL KIND OF ON THE SAME PAGE.
WHAT IS A DATA CENTER? SO THIS IS A FACILITY, UM, THAT IS PURPOSELY BUILT TO HOUSE COMPUTER SERVERS, NETWORKING.
UM, AND THESE ARE MEANT TO RUN CONSTANTLY 24 7, 365 DAYS A YEAR.
THEY WOULD STORE, PROCESS, DISTRIBUTE DIGITAL INFORMATION.
UM, THIS WOULD, AND, AND YOU GUYS, AT THIS STAGE IN, IN OUR SOCIETY, WE USE THESE FUNCTIONS ALL THE TIME FOR CLOUD STORAGE.
UM, WE HAVE AI BANKING, HEALTHCARE, THINGS THAT YOU USE IN YOUR DAY-TO-DAY, UM, WITH YOUR BUSINESSES AND YOUR YOUR DAY JOBS.
UM, THESE WOULD CONTAIN SPECIALIZED INFRASTRUCTURE, AND THIS WOULD INCLUDE SORT OF BACKUP ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS AND COOLING SYSTEMS, WHICH HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO HAVE A PRETTY BIG DRAW ON OUR INFRASTRUCTURE HERE IN THE CITY.
AND THEY CAN REALLY BE ANY SIZE FROM SOMETHING VERY SMALL UP TO BIG GIANT, UM, CAMPUSES.
THAT WOULD BE MULTIPLE BUILDINGS IN EXCESS OF A MILLION SQUARE FEET OR MORE.
SO, JUST TO GIVE YOU AN EXAMPLE, I HAVE A FEW EXAMPLES HERE.
UM, OBVIOUSLY THIS IS A FA, THESE TWO FACILITIES ARE ONES THAT LOOK PRETTY MUCH LIKE A LARGE, UM, WAREHOUSING OR LIGHT INDUSTRIAL TYPE OPERATION.
UH, THIS ONE LOOKS MORE LIKE AN OFFICE BUILDING.
THESE ARE LARGE, THEY LOOK LIKE LARGE OFFICE BUILDINGS.
AGAIN, THESE ARE DATA CENTERS.
IN FACT, THE ONE ON THE BOTTOM RIGHT KINDA LOOKS LIKE A TARGET HEADQUARTERS OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
UM, AND THEN, THEN YOU LOOK AT SOME THAT ARE IN MORE DOWNTOWN, UH, TYPE FACILITIES THAT YOU WOULD NOT EVEN KNOW.
THESE ARE, UM, THEY, AGAIN, THEY LOOK MORE LIKE OFFICE BUILDINGS.
SO KEEP THAT IN MIND AS WE TALK THROUGH THIS.
IT CAN BE, UH, A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT LOOKS TO IT AND, AND FEELS.
SO WHAT WE, NOW WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT WHAT A DATA CENTER IS NOT.
SO IT IS NOT A REGULAR OLD OFFICE BUILDING OR DATA PROCESSING BUILDING.
THEY DON'T HAVE A TON OF EMPLOYEES.
UM, THEY ORDINARILY, UM, WOULD NOT LOOK, I MEAN, IT WOULD NOT BE FOR MANUFACTURING OR INDUSTRIAL TYPE PRODUCTION.
UH, IT IS NOT A WAREHOUSE, ALTHOUGH SOMETIMES THEY LOOK LIKE A WAREHOUSE.
THEY DO NOT HAVE THE SAME IMPACTS AS A WAREHOUSE.
UH, IT IS NOT A POWER DISTRIBUTION FACILITY, ALTHOUGH SOMETIMES THEY DO PRODUCE THEIR OWN POWER.
UH, IT'S NOT FOR RESEARCH LABS OR SEMICONDUCTOR
[00:05:01]
FABRICATION PLANTS.IT DOES NOT INVOLVE A LOT OF EMISSIONS.
UH, THAT MANUFACTURING PROCESS THAT'S VERY HAZARDOUS.
AND, UH, MOST OF ALL, IT DOES NOT PRODUCE A BUNCH OF TRUCK TRAFFIC, UH, ONCE IT'S ALL BUILT.
SO WHERE CAN NEW DATA CENTER GO? UM, RIGHT NOW, AGAIN, THE CODE DOES NOT REALLY ALLOW THEM ANYWHERE IN THE CITY OF BAYTOWN.
SO WHAT STAFF IS RECOMMENDING RIGHT NOW TO CLOSE THE GAP IS TO ALLOW THEM ONLY IN HEAVY INDUSTRIAL DISTRICT WITH A SPECIAL USE PERMIT.
SO THAT WOULD HAVE TO COME THROUGH PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION AND WOULD HAVE TO COME THROUGH CITY COUNCIL IN ORDER TO BE APPROVED.
THIS REALLY IS THE MOST RESTRICTIVE SOLUTION THAT WE HAVE RIGHT NOW, AND THAT IS KIND OF MEANT, UM, TO, NUMBER ONE, ENSURE THAT THERE'S MINIMAL IMPACT TO THE RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOODS.
AND ALSO THIS WOULD PROVIDE STAFF WITH SOME TIME TO FURTHER RESEARCH AND MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE DEVELOPING, UH, SOME SPECIFIC USE STANDARDS FOR THAT TYPE OF USE.
UM, THAT WOULD NOT ONLY WORK FOR THE CITY, BUT ALSO WOULD WORK FOR ANY DEVELOPERS OF THAT TYPE OF FACILITY.
SO, UM, ON THE MAP, WHAT YOU'LL SEE IS, UH, I KNOW THE BLUE KIND OF LOOKS LIKE WATER.
IT IS NOT, IT IS THE, UM, THE LIMITS, CITY LIMITS, THANK YOU.
AND THEN THE DARK BLUE LINE ON THE VERY OUTSIDE, THAT IS THE LIMITS OF OUR ETJ.
THE PURPLE AREAS ARE ANY OF THE AREAS IN THE CITY NOW THAT ARE ZONED HEAVY INDUSTRIAL.
SO YOU CAN SEE, JUST TO ORIENT EVERYONE, THIS IS I 10 UP HERE.
THIS IS THREE 30, THIS IS 1 46 COMING UP ALONG HERE.
HERE'S THE BAYOU, AND THEN HERE'S 99.
SO YOU CAN SEE THAT IT, THERE ARE NOT A LOT OF AREAS THAT THESE WOULD BE ABLE TO GO IN AT THE, AT THE MOMENT.
NOW REMEMBER, THEY COULD GO IN THE ETJ AND WE DON'T REALLY HAVE ANY CONTROL OVER THAT.
WE WON'T HAVE ANY CONTROL OVER THAT.
SO WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT TODAY IS SPECIFICALLY INSIDE THE CITY WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THE REGULATIONS MOVING FORWARD.
SO WE WANT TO TALK ABOUT, OKAY, WHAT, WHAT HAPPENS AFTER THAT? UM, WE REALLY WANNA TALK ABOUT THE BALANCE BETWEEN THE COMMUNITY AND THE DEVELOPERS AND THE, THE NEEDS OF BOTH.
AND SO, UM, FIRST OFF, WE WANNA TALK ABOUT THE COMMUNITY BENEFITS.
SO IF, IF WE'RE REGULATING THESE PROPERLY, THEN WE'RE DOING OUR BEST TO PROTECT NEARBY NEIGHBORHOODS.
WE WANT TO ENSURE THAT THE DEVELOPMENT IS COMPATIBLE WITH NEARBY, UM, STUFF, THE, THAT WE'RE INFRA, EXCUSE ME, WE'RE ADDRESSING ANY OF THOSE INFRASTRUCTURE IMPACTS.
UM, THE DEVELOPERS ARE GONNA HAVE VERY SPECIFIC NEEDS FOR, UM, FOR WATER AND POWER.
AND WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT NOT ONLY IS THAT NOT IMPACTING THE COMMUNITY AS A WHOLE, BUT ALSO THAT THEY'RE PAYING FOR THEIR, UM, FOR THOSE IMPROVEMENTS THAT ARE MADE NECESSARY BY THEIR DEVELOPMENTS.
UH, WE DO WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERYBODY'S EXPECTATIONS ARE CONSISTENT, AND THAT'S NOT ONLY THE CITY, BUT ALSO THE COMMUNITY, THE, UH, THE CITIZENS AND ALSO THE DEVELOPERS.
AND THEN WE DO WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THOSE NEW DEVELOPMENTS WILL ALIGN WITH OUR LONG-TERM GOALS OF THE CITY.
AT THE SAME TIME, WE ARE THINKING ABOUT THE BENEFITS TO THE INDUSTRY, AGAIN, OF HAVING REGULATIONS, OF HAVING GOOD REGULATIONS.
IT WOULD PROVIDE, UH, AN APPROVAL PROCESS THAT THEY CAN PREDICT AND, AND SEE THAT THAT'S A STRAIGHTFORWARD, EFFICIENT PERMITTING PROCESS, UM, WHICH LOWERS THEIR RISK WHEN THEY'RE GETTING THEIR APPROVALS.
AND THEN, UM, WOULD ALSO, AGAIN, PROVIDE THOSE CLEAR DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS SO THAT AS THEY'RE GOING THROUGH AND, AND DOING THOSE PROJECTS, THEY KNOW EXACTLY WHAT THEY NEED TO DO BEFORE THEY EVER COME TO TALK TO, UH, CITY STAFF.
SO AS WE COMPARE THE RISKS, UH, OF REGULATING, IF, SO, ON THE LEFT HAND SIDE, WHAT YOU SEE IS IF THE REGULATIONS REALLY DON'T GO FAR ENOUGH, UM, WE'RE GONNA HAVE VERY LIMITED ABILITY TO ADDRESS THE IMPACTS AS THEY COME IN, UH, AND REALLY IS GONNA BE VERY DIFFICULT TO CORRECT PROBLEMS AFTER THOSE ARE APPROVED AND, AND BEING BUILT.
UH, IT'S, IT'S LIKELY TO, UH, PRESENT SOME COMPATIBILITY ISSUES WITH, WITH LOCAL RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOODS, AND THAT'S GONNA COME FROM THAT POOR SITE SELECTION.
AND THEN WE'RE, AGAIN, COULD HAVE THOSE INFRASTRUCTURE PROBLEMS THAT WOULD AFFECT, UH, THE COMMUNITY, UH, IN A, IN A LARGER WAY.
SO, BUT ON THE, ON THE, UH, FLIP SIDE, IF THE REGULATIONS, EXCUSE ME, IF THE REGULATIONS ARE TOO RESTRICTIVE, THEN WE LOSE SOME VERY REAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES, WHICH COULD RESULT IN A REDUCED TAX BASE.
UM, SO THERE AGAIN, LOST OPPORTUNITY.
THOSE PROJECTS WOULD THEN LIKELY HEAD OFF TO OTHER NEIGHBORING JURISDICTIONS, UH, AND WE WOULD SEE UNCERTAINTY IN APPROVALS.
AND THEN THE POSSIBILITY OF LEGAL CHALLENGES, UM, FROM DEVELOPERS.
SO RIGHT NOW, STAFF IS RECOMMENDING, UH, AGAIN, IN THE SHORT TERM THAT WE, OR EXCUSE ME, THAT WE ADOPT A REGULATORY FRAMEWORK.
THAT, THAT BASICALLY WE NEED TO
[00:10:01]
RECOGNIZE DATA CENTERS AS ITS OWN UNIQUE LAND USE.WE NEED TO MAKE SURE WE FIGURE OUT WHERE THOSE CAN GO.
SO RIGHT NOW IN INDUSTRIAL DISTRICTS, UH, WE WOULD WANT TO BE ABLE TO APPLY THESE MEASURABLE DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS THAT ARE PREDICTABLE AND OBJECTIVE.
AND THEN WE WOULD LIMIT ANY DISCRETIONARY REVIEW TO, AND AGAIN, THIS IS A LONG-TERM GOAL THAT THE DISCRETIONARY, LIKE SPECIAL USE PERMITS TO SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES.
SO THERE'S SOMETHING HAPPENING IN, IN RELATION TO THAT, UM, THAT PROPERTY, WHATEVER PROPERTY IS COMING THROUGH.
SO NEXT STEPS, UM, I'M GONNA TALK ABOUT THESE IN ACTUALLY TWO, TWO DIFFERENT, UH, STEPS.
THE FIRST ONE IS, UM, STAFF WILL BE BRINGING BACK TO, UM, TO PLANNING AND ZONING NEXT WEEK, AND THEN BACK TO YOU THE WEEK AFTER, UH, DEFINITION FOR DATA CENTER AND ASK, UH, TO ADOPT THAT DEFINITION.
AND THEN WE WILL BE RECOMMENDING TO LIMIT DATA CENTERS TO HEAVY INDUSTRIAL WITH A SPECIAL USE PERMIT.
AGAIN, THIS IS MEANT TO BE RESTRICTIVE AT THIS TIME BECAUSE WE NEED TO DO SOME MORE RESEARCH AND SOME MORE WORK ON LANGUAGE FOR LONG-TERM GOALS FOR THE CITY.
UM, WHICH WILL ALLOW US TO THEN IDENTIFY THOSE FUTURE APPROPRIATE ZONING DISTRICTS, WOULD ALLOW US TO, UM, TO WRITE AND ESTABLISH DESIGN STANDARDS, UM, THAT HAVE TO DO WITH PERFORMANCE AND HOW EVERYTHING IS COMPATIBLE.
AND THEN WE WOULD ALSO, UH, COORDINATE WITH OUR UTILITY PROVIDERS TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERYBODY'S ON THE SAME PAGE MOVING FORWARD AND THAT WE HAVEN'T MISSED SOMETHING.
UM, AND WE WOULD BRING THAT BACK TO THROUGH THE PROCESS, UM, IN A FEW MONTHS WHEN WE'RE ABLE TO, TO GET THAT ALL TOGETHER.
UM, THE GOAL IS TO MAKE SURE THAT, AGAIN, LONG TERM THAT FITS THE CITY'S DEVELOPMENT GOALS AND THAT WE'RE PROTECTING THE COMMUNITY AT LARGE AND THAT WE'RE MEETING CITY COUNCIL'S GOALS AS WELL.
WITH THAT, UM, I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS.
SO, UM, I'M GONNA ASK A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS THAT WE HAVE TWO PEOPLE SIGNED UP TO SPEAK.
I'M ASKING THESE QUESTIONS BECAUSE I JUST WANT THEM TO HEAR WHAT THESE ANSWERS ARE GOING TO BE, JUST IN CASE THIS IS SOMETHING THAT THEY'RE GONNA TRY TO ADDRESS.
UM, CAN WE OUTLAW, CAN WE OUTLAW DATA CENTERS OR CAN, UH, OR CAN WE WRITE THEM OUT OF THE CODE? I, I, I'M GOING TO, I'LL PROBABLY DEFER TO SCOTT ON THIS, BUT MY TAKE HAS ALWAYS BEEN IF THERE IS A USE, WE HAVE TO FIND A PLACE FOR IT MM-HMM
UM, AND EVEN IF THAT RESTRICTS IT VERY, VERY HEAVILY, UM, BUT ALSO THERE'S LIKELY SOME DATA CENTERS OUT THERE NOW THAT WE DON'T KNOW ABOUT.
BUT I'M JUST TALKING ABOUT FOR THE FUTURE.
I AGREE WITH MR. SCRIBNER, IT'D BE HIGHLY UNLIKELY THAT IT WOULD BE LEGAL TO DO SO.
THERE HAS BEEN LITIGATION ALREADY AGAINST LOCAL GOVERNMENTS WHO TRIED TO DO THAT.
UM, AND, UH, WHILE THOSE CASES ARE TOO NEW TO HAVE GONE ALL THE WAY THROUGH THE SYSTEM TO GIVE US ANY SORT OF PRESIDENTIAL VALUE, UM, THE, THE FACT THAT, UH, LITIGATION HAS ALREADY BEGUN IN THIS PROCESS, I THINK GIVES US AN IDEA OF WHERE, UM, MANUFACTURERS AND DEVELOPERS STAND AND, AND, AND FRANKLY LANDOWNERS, UH, STAND ON THE CONCEPT OF, UH, USING PROPERTY FOR DATA CENTERS.
SO I, I THINK, UH, STRATEGICALLY IT WOULD BE A VERY RISKY MOVE IF WE WERE TRYING TO BAN THEM ALL TOGETHER.
AND THEN MY OTHER QUESTION IS, SINCE THEY'RE ALREADY NOT IN THE CODE, CAN WE TELL THEM THAT THEY'RE NOT WELCOME HERE SINCE THERE'S NOTHING IN THE CODE ABOUT THEM OR, OR, OR THE WAY THAT IT'S DEFINED NOW? OKAY.
THE, SO THE, THERE'S A PROCESS TO THAT AND, UH, THAT HAS ALREADY, UH, HAS ALREADY COME UP.
UM, THE WAY I'VE READ THE CODE IS THAT IF THERE, IT SAYS IN THE CODE, IF THERE IS A USE THAT'S NOT PROPERLY DEFINED AND IS NOT ALLOWED, UM, IN THE USE, UH, IN THE USE TABLE, THEN BASICALLY IT'S NOT ALLOWED.
SO AS OF RIGHT NOW, THE, THE DETERMINATION FROM MY OFFICE HAS BEEN THAT THEY'RE NOT ALLOWED IN THE CITY, UM, LONG TERM.
AND, AND I, I BRING THAT UP TO SAY THERE IS A PROCESS FOR APPEALING THAT DETERMINATION, UM, AND THEN ULTIMATELY WOULD BE UP TO A COURT TO DECIDE THAT.
AND I THINK, UH, I DON'T WANNA SPEAK FOR EVERYONE IN THE ROOM.
MY GOAL WOULD BE TO KEEP IT OUTTA COURT.
SO WE'RE GONNA GO OVER, GO ON NOW TO THE, WE HAVE THREE INDIVIDUALS THAT HAVE SIGNED UP TO SPEAK ON TWO A.
THE FIRST ONE IS GONNA BE MS. JUNE.
[00:15:05]
YOU HAVE THREE MINUTES AND WE CAN EXTEND IT.BY MAJORITY VOTE OF COUNSEL IF YOU NEED A LITTLE BIT MORE TIME AND JUST, UH, LETTING OTHER PEOPLE KNOW, ALTHOUGH WE DON'T SEE THIS HERE, YOU CAN PASS YOUR TIME TO SOMEONE ELSE, BUT WE'RE NOT GONNA ALLOW ANY MORE THAN NINE MINUTES TOTAL.
UM, JUNE STANSKI 46 0 1 DRIFTWOOD DRIVE, BAYTOWN, TEXAS 7 7 5 2 1.
UM, I DON'T KNOW IF ANYBODY'S HAD THE TV ON TODAY AND YESTERDAY.
THERE'S A CHANCE THAT AI CENTERS COULD KILL ALL HUMANS IN THE NEXT DECADE.
UH, THIS WAS PUT OUT BY THE, UM, UM, NUCLEAR WAR WARNINGS BY DES BROLIN, FORMER DEFENSE SECRETARY, NO PR NOBEL PRIZE WINNER, BEATRIZ FINE.
UH, WHOSE INTERNATIONAL CAMPAIGN, UH, TO ABOLISH NUCLEAR WEAPONS.
THEY WERE THE ONES THAT, UM, MANAGED TO MENTION THAT KIND OF STUFF.
UH, IT'S COMING OUT OF ALREADY PEOPLE THAT ARE WORKING AT ALREADY EXISTING DATA CENTERS.
UM, SO MY BIG CONCERN IS OUR WATER.
UM, THE WATERS USED TO DISSIPATE THE HEAT, UM, FROM THE GENERATING OF THE GENERATING COMPUTERS, SO ON AND SO FORTH.
UM, ANY AI TEXTS THAT YOU SEND THAT'S CREATED BY AI USES BETWEEN 10 TO 50 MILLILITERS OF WATER.
AN IMAGE CREATED BY AI USES 23 MILLILITERS OF WATER.
UM, GOOGLE'S DATA CENTER WATER USAGE REPORTEDLY HIT 8.1 BILLION GALLONS RECENTLY.
UM, A MEDIUM SIZED DATA CENTER CAN CONSUME ROUGHLY A HUNDRED MILLION GALLONS OF WATER ANNUALLY, WHICH IS EQUIVALENT TO ONE YEAR NEED OF A TOWN OF 50,000 PEOPLE.
SO A LITTLE BIT LESS THAN A LITTLE BIT MORE THAN HALF A BAYTOWN WATER USE COULD BE USED, UM, ON A DATA CENTER.
UM, THERE'S DIRECT WATER, UH, WHICH IS CONSUMED ON SITE.
IT'S THE FRESH, IT NEEDS FRESH WATER PUMP DIRECTLY INTO THE FACILITIES.
EVAPORATING COOLING TOWERS TO KEEP THE HARDWARE FROM OVERHEATING OR INDIRECTLY.
UM, DATA CENTERS REQUIRE MASSIVE AMOUNTS OF ELECTRICITY AND, AND YOU MEASURE THIS WATER EVAPORATION OFF THE SITE AT THE POWER PLANTS LIKE THERMAL, ELECTRIC, COAL OR NUCLEAR PLANTS, YOU'RE BASICALLY WASTING A LOT OF WATER.
SO EVEN THOUGH, YES, IT'S A PRETTY BUILDING, AS MY FRIEND SAID, YOU'RE PUTTING LIPSTICK ON A PIG.
THESE PEOPLE ARE, THESE MACHINES ARE EATING THE WATER SUPPLY.
YOU'VE GOT CITIES THAT, UM, UH, INSTEAD OF BEING ABLE TO IRRIGATE, THEIR FIELDS ARE ACTUALLY GOING DRY.
IT'S CREATING
SO, UM, I GUESS THAT'S MY TIME.
NEXT WE HAVE MR. TROY WHITE NECK.
TROY WHITE NECK 9 9 4 6 BAYOU WOODS DRIVE.
BAYTOWN ABSOLUTELY NEEDS A DATA CENTER.
WE'VE GOT UNREGULATED FLOCK CAMERAS ALL OVER BAYTOWN, AND THEY REQUIRE A DATA CENTER.
THE PROBLEM IS BAYTOWN CAN'T AFFORD IT, AND THE STATE OF TEXAS CAN'T AFFORD IT.
CORPUS CHRISTI HAS BEEN FIGHTING A WATER SHORTAGE FOR OVER A YEAR.
IF YOU WANNA FIND OUT HOW THE PEOPLE FEEL ABOUT DATA CENTERS, JUST ASK THE PEOPLE IN CORPUS CHRISTI, THE PEOPLE IN WEST TEXAS AND THE VOTERS THAT HAVE VOTED FOR TRUMP THREE TIMES.
THANKS TO GREG ABBOTT AND HIS OUTTA STATE ERCOT BOARD, WE HAVE A VERY FRAGILE ELECTRIC SYSTEM.
AND EVERY TIME THESE DATA CENTERS USE TOO MUCH WATER AND TOO MUCH ELECTRICITY, AND EVERY TIME IT GETS HOT HERE, WE GET WARNINGS ON THE NEWS ABOUT THE ELECTRICAL GRID.
AND EVERY TIME IT GETS COLD, WE GET WARNINGS
[00:20:01]
ABOUT THE ELECTRICAL GRID.AND LIKE I SAID, LOOKING AT THOSE BEAUTIFUL PICTURES OF THE DATA CENTERS, IT REMINDED ME OF PUTTING LIPSTICK ON A PIG.
NEXT WE WILL HAVE MS. DESIREE CLAUS.
MY NAME'S DESIREE KLAUS AND I LIVE AT 9 0 2 6 BLUE STAR LANE.
THE WORD IS AI DATA CENTERS ARE COMING.
SO WHAT IS THE CITY GOING TO DO TO PROTECT THE COMMUNITY FROM THOSE CENTERS USING OUR RESOURCES AND ADDING A FINANCIAL BURDEN ON THIS COMMUNITY? ARE THEY GOING TO GET TAX INCENTIVES, ACCESS TO OUR WATER SYSTEMS AND ELECTRICAL GRID? HOW MUCH IS THE COMMUNITY GOING TO HAVE TO FOOT THE BILL? WE ALL KNOW AI DATA CENTERS HAVE HAD THEIR EYE ON SOUTHEAST HARRIS COUNTY, BUT WHAT IS THE CITY GOING TO DO TO PROTECT OUR COMMUNITY, OUR RESOURCES, AND OUR FAMILIES? IS THE CITY GOING TO WELCOME THEM AND GIVE THEM THE RED CARPET TREATMENT FOR THE CORPORATIONS, OR ARE THEY GOING TO PROTECT THE CITIZENS OF BAYTOWN? THAT IS REALLY, THOSE ARE SOME OBVIOUS QUESTIONS.
I THINK, NOT JUST ME, BUT A LOT OF RESIDENTS HERE IN BAYTOWN WOULD LIKE TO KNOW.
QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS FROM, UH, COUNCIL MEMBERS, MR. HOLLYWOOD? OH, GOD, JUMP IN THERE.
UM, YEAH, I HAVE A COUPLE COMMENTS.
UM, I UNDERSTAND THE DATA CENTER ISSUES AND STUFF LIKE THAT.
AND I HAD A CONVERSATION WITH CITY MANAGER ABOUT IT.
AND, AND MY CONCERN HAS BEEN, HAS BEEN BROUGHT UP, IS THE SIGNIFICANT WATER USE.
UH, YOU KNOW, EVERY YEAR WE GO THROUGH THE WATER RATE ADJUSTMENTS OR WHATEVER WE USING, 'CAUSE THAT'S WHERE WE GET OUR WATER OR SEAWALK CANAL AND ALL THAT FUN STUFF.
AND, AND EVERY YEAR WE ENCOURAGE OUR CITIZENS TO BE RESTRICTIVE IN THEIR WATER USE SO THAT OUR RATES DON'T GO UP AND EVENTUALLY WE'RE GONNA RUN OUTTA CAPACITY.
UM, SO THAT'S MY MAIN CONCERN.
AND I'VE, I'VE HEARD THE ARGUMENT, WELL, THEY CAN INSTALL THOSE THAT, THAT RECYCLE THEIR WATER, BUT AGAIN, IT EVAPORATES SO THEY CAN RECYCLE UP TO A CERTAIN PERCENTAGE, BUT IT ALWAYS HAS TO HAVE INFILL.
SO AGAIN, THAT'S THE SIGNIFICANT DRAIN.
UM, AS FAR AS ELECTRIC POWER AND STUFF LIKE THAT, MOST OF THEM HAVE THEIR INDEPENDENT POWER SOURCES RUN TO THEM, OR THEY'RE REQUIRED TO HAVE THEIR OWN GENERATION CAPACITY.
BUT IT GOES BACK TO THE WATER USAGE.
AND, AND I'M VERY CONCERNED ABOUT THAT.
I LIKE THE PROPOSAL THAT STAFF IS BRINGING FORWARD.
LET'S PUT 'EM IN HEAVY INDUSTRY WITH AN SUP AND MAKE THEM SHOW OR PREDICT HOW MUCH WATER USES THEY ARE AND HOW MUCH OF AN IMPACT THAT'S GONNA BE.
WE CONTROL OUR WATER AND WE CAN SAY THAT'S, YOU KNOW, IF YOU, YOU'RE GONNA COME IN AND YOU'RE GONNA CONSUME, I'M JUST PICKING A NUMBER, 6 MILLION GALLONS A DAY.
WELL, WE JUST EXPANDED OUR BAWA EAST PLANT BY 6 MILLION GALLONS.
SO IF YOU WANT TO PAY FOR ANOTHER FULL EX MM-HMM.
EXTENSION, BUT THEN THE RESOURCE OF WHERE THAT WATER COMES FROM IS NOT UNLIMITED.
SO WE HAVE TO BE AWARE OF THAT.
UM, BUT AS FAR AS TRYING TO BAN THEM OUTRIGHT, AGAIN, I THINK THAT'S A LEGALITY ISSUE.
BUT IF WE CAN COME UP WITH REQUIREMENTS AS FAR AS, AGAIN, OUR CONCERNED IS THE WATER CAPACITY, UH, I THINK THAT'S WHERE WE HAVE THE STRONGEST FOOTING TO SAY NO OR HAVE IT REDUCED OR ADD SOME EXTRA REQUIREMENTS TO IT.
BUT, BUT, UM, THAT, AGAIN, I'M NOT OPPOSED TO DATA CENTERS.
UM, I THINK THAT'S THE NEW AGE.
I, I LOVE THE COMMENT, UH, THAT ONE OF OUR CITIZENS BROUGHT UP THAT, YOU KNOW, THAT JUST REMINDED ME OF THE MOVIE TERMINATOR.
UM, THEY'RE GONNA COME GET US, BUT DATA CENTERS ARE, ARE PART OF THE FUTURE AS PART OF A CURRENT STATUS, BUT ALONG THE GULF COAST WITH OUR WATER RESTRICTIONS AND, AND ISSUES THAT IT MAKES IT TOUGH ON US.
SO THAT'S, THAT'S MY POSITION ON IT.
UH, AND, AND THAT'S REALLY WHAT I WAS LOOKING AT AS WELL.
I THINK I'D LIKE TO KNOW REALLY THE EFFECTIVENESS OF A CLOSED LOOP AND, AND HOW THEY MANAGE FORWARD.
UM, I KNOW WE'VE BEEN THROUGH THESE SITUATIONS BEFORE WHEN WE THINK SOMETHING IS GONNA BE REALLY BAD AND THAT WE HAVE TO REALLY THINK ABOUT IT.
I REMEMBER THE TANK FARMS, UH, WHERE THEY IMMEDIATELY SAID, WELL, WE'RE GONNA SUE Y'ALL.
BUT ULTIMATELY WE HAVE TO DECIDE WHAT'S GONNA BE BEST, UM, FOR THE CITY OF BAYTOWN.
AND, UM, I KNOW I'VE BEEN HEARING A LOT ABOUT DATA CENTERS.
THERE'S ANOTHER ONE IN JUST IN A CITY THEY'RE GONNA TALK ABOUT, UM, TOMORROW EVENING.
AND SO FOR ME, RIGHT NOW I'M JUST ABOUT INFORMATION GATHERING, UM, AND TRYING TO FIND OUT WHAT THE REGION AS A WHOLE IS DOING AND HOW THAT'S GONNA IMPACT US AS A TRICKLE DOWN, BECAUSE
[00:25:01]
WE DO, AS YOU SAID, WE GET OUR WATER FROM THE CITY OF HOUSTON.AND SO IF THERE'S ANOTHER ONE COMING IN, YOU KNOW, HOW MUCH WILL THEY USE THAT WILL IMPACT US ON, YOU KNOW, DOWN BELOW.
AND, UM, SO I'M NOT COMPLETELY OUT JUST YET.
I JUST NEED MORE INFORMATION BEFORE I IMMEDIATELY SAY YES, MR. HE BEFORE YOU AGE BEFORE BEAUTY, I'M SORRY, BEAUTY BEFORE AGE
THANK YOU MR. SCRIBNER, FOR YOUR PRESENTATION.
UM, DATA CENTERS IS, IS SOMETHING THAT I'VE DONE A LITTLE BIT LOOKING INTO, UH, TO ADDRESS THE CONCERNS ABOUT WATER USAGE.
UM, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, I WOULD LIKE TO SEE, UM, FIRST OF ALL, I WANNA SAY THAT, UH, I LIKE THAT THE CITY'S APPROACHING THIS ON A CAUTIONARY BASIS WITH THE RESTRICTIVE, UH, THE MOST RESTRICTIVE, UH, UM, SET OF REQUIREMENTS.
UH, I LIKE THE SUP THAT GIVES THE CITY A LITTLE BIT MORE CONTROL.
OF COURSE, WATER USAGE IS DEFINITELY A CONCERN.
I'VE SEEN THINGS PROPOSED AS FAR AS, UM, YOU KNOW, RECYCLED WATER USAGE.
THINK ABOUT A CAR, A CAR RADIATOR.
HOW OFTEN DO YOU CHANGE YOUR CAR RADIATOR, UH, THE WATER IN YOUR CAR? NOT VERY OFTEN.
SO YEAH, I DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT'S GONNA LOOK LIKE.
BUT A AGAIN, TO LOWER MS, MRS. ALVARADO'S POINT, UM, I LIKE TO MOVE FORWARD AND GATHER MORE INFORMATION TO SEE WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE.
UM, DEFINITELY WANT TO SEE A DATA CENTER THAT'S FOCUSING ON, ON RUNNING ON ITS OWN GRID, UM, AND NOT USING THE GRID OF THE NEARBY CITY.
UM, I HEARD TALK ABOUT SOME DATA CENTERS REQUIRING SOUND DEAD DEADENING WALLS THAT THESE DATA CENTERS HAVE THE CAPACITY OF PUTTING OUT, UH, LOTS OF SOUND THAT COULD AFFECT NEIGHBORS LOOKING AT THE MAP.
UM, I DON'T SEE, UH, YOU KNOW, WHERE THERE'S RESIDENTS FAR WITHIN THAT ZONING, UM, CLOSE TO THAT ZONING.
BUT IF THAT'S THE CASE, YOU KNOW, MAYBE SETTING A DISTANCE PARAMETER FROM, UM, THOSE RESIDENTS OR IF IT'S TOO CLOSE THAT THEY HAVE SOME TYPE OF SOUND DEADENING WALLS.
BUT I THINK Y'ALL ON THE RIGHT TRACK WITH FINDING, UM, WITH APPROACHING THIS FROM A VERY CAUTIONARY STANDPOINT.
AND, UM, JUST INTERESTED IN HEARING THAT A LOT OF THE TERMINOLOGY AND, AND THE DEFINITION OF A DATA CENTER.
IS THERE ANY DEFINITIONS, LEGAL DEFINITIONS OUT THERE FOR DATA CENTERS? UM, SO FROM THE STATE LEVEL, THERE'S MERELY ONE THAT HAS TO DO WITH, UH, IS IT THE TAX LAW? YES.
UM, THEN WE'D BE LOOKING TO OTHER COMMUNITIES TO SEE HOW THEY'VE DEFINED THEM.
SO WE HAVE A DEFINITION THAT'S, THAT WE'VE CRAFTED AND IT'S READY TO GO, THAT WE THINK HITS ALL THE POINTS THAT WE NEED TO HIT.
UM, SO WE'LL, WE'LL BE PRESENTING THAT, UH, ON THE 24TH.
AND I WOULD JUST ADD THAT THE, THE DEFINITIONS, IT'S STATE LAW BECAUSE THEY'RE BASED, UH, ON TAXATION, NOT REALLY COMPATIBLE FOR I THINK THE TYPE OF, UM, DELIBERATIONS THAT YOU ALL MIGHT BE GETTING INTO.
WHAT ELSE? YEAH, I'LL JUST SAY, UM, AS FAR AS THE, THE NEXT STEPS YOU HAVE OUTLINED, I AGREE WITH ALL OF THAT.
UM, I AGREE WITH MY COLLEAGUES UP HERE AND, YOU KNOW, WE NEED TO HAVE A LITTLE MORE CONVERSATION ABOUT HOW WE DEFINE A, A DATA CENTER.
UM, AND SO I I, I THINK IN THE SHORT TERM, YOU KNOW, MAKING, UH, A MORE RESTRICT, YOU KNOW, PUTTING MORE RESTRICTIONS IN PLACE SHORT TERM UNTIL WE HAVE TIME TO HAVE MORE CONVERSATIONS, I THINK THAT'S THE CORRECT PATH FORWARD.
I THINK, I THINK AS WE HAVE DISCUSSIONS WE'LL PROBABLY IDENTIFY OTHER AREAS WHERE THEY'RE APPROPRIATE.
I MEAN, OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD I'M THINKING, I MEAN, IF WE HAVE BASICALLY ANYWHERE WE HAVE WAREHOUSES, I MEAN, THEY LOOK VERY SIMILAR FUNCTION SIMILARLY.
UM, SO WE MAY EXPAND BEYOND HEAVY INDUSTRY, BUT THAT'S SOMETHING WE CAN DISCUSS AS WE, WE HAVE MORE CONVERSATIONS.
AND, UM, I'VE READ, I'VE READ A GOOD BIT ABOUT, UM, DATA CENTERS RECENTLY.
UM, I GUESS THE, THE, THE ALGORITHMS KNEW THIS WAS ON THE, UH, ON THE AGENDA TONIGHT AND THE, THE AI CENTERS ARE WORKING ON US.
BUT ANYWAY, UM, LOOKING AT AT WATER USAGE AND THINGS LIKE THAT, COMPARING IT TO OTHER INDUSTRIES AND, UM, I, I READ SOMETHING INTERESTING AND IT TALKED ABOUT, YOU KNOW, IT'S, THERE ARE BAD DATA CENTERS OUT THERE, THERE DEFINITELY ARE, YOU KNOW, AND THAT'S WHAT WE NEED TO BE, UM, CAUTIOUS ABOUT.
BUT ALSO, UM, THERE ARE ONES THAT ARE USING LESS WATER, YOU KNOW, UM, CLOSED LOOP SYSTEMS, THINGS OF THAT.
SO IT'S IMPORTANT WE DON'T JUST SAY ALL DATA CENTERS, UH, YOU KNOW, FIT IN THIS, THIS MOLD.
THERE, THERE ARE DIFFERENT SIZES, DIFFERENT DIFFERENT COOLING SYSTEMS. SO, UM, I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING THAT GIVEN TIME WE'LL, WE CAN, WE CAN DIVE MORE INTO THOSE DETAILS.
SO I AGREE WITH THE, THE PATH FORWARD.
[00:30:01]
MENTIONED ON YOUR NEXT STEPS, BUT I KNOW YOU SAID THAT THE DATA PROCESSING CENTERS WAS KIND OF AN ANTIQUATED TERM.SO DO YOU PLAN TO JUST REMOVE THAT WHEN WE MAKE THESE OTHER UPDATES OR HOW YOU ARE GONNA ADDRESS THAT IN SOME WAY JUST TO AVOID CONFUSION? I, I MEAN IT'S STILL INCLUDED UNDER OFFICE.
UNDER THE OFFICE DEFINITION, UH, UNDER THE OFFICE CATEGORY.
SO I, I THINK THAT IT, IT STILL COULD BE A THING, SO I DON'T THINK WE'RE GONNA REMOVE IT, BUT THE IDEA IS TO MAKE SURE THAT THE DEFINITION OF DATA CENTER IS CLEAR ENOUGH OKAY.
THAT WE CAN MAKE IT CLEAR DISTINCTION SEPARATE BETWEEN THE TWO.
WE, WE WILL ALSO ADD IN, UH, SOMETHING INTO THE OFFICE DEFINITION THAT BASICALLY SAYS DATA PROCESSING IS ITS OWN THING, NOT INCLUDED UNDER AN OFFICE.
SO NO, I APPRECIATE YOU GETTING AHEAD OF THIS.
YOU KNOW, I KNOW THERE'S OTHER THINGS THAT HAVE BEEN THAT WE'VE COME UP ACROSS THAT WE HAVE TO FIX SOME OF THESE THINGS THAT WE DON'T, DIDN'T GET CAUGHT AND WE, I WISH WE COULD KEEP UP WITH THE TIMES, BUT RIGHT NOW THE TIMES ARE MOVING SO FAST IT'S RIDICULOUS.
UM, AS FAR AS TECHNOLOGY'S MOVING, AS FAR AS DIFFERENT DEFINITIONS, AND I APPRECIATE YOU GETTING AHEAD OF THIS TO TRY TO TRY TO, TO MINIMIZE THE DAMAGE AND WHAT WE CAN DO.
UM, 'CAUSE THERE ARE SOME PLACES THAT ARE RETROFITTED TO EXISTING FACILITIES THAT IT, THERE'S NO, IT'S OUT OF OUR JURISDICTION TO ACTUALLY STOP 'EM.
UM, AND I DO LIKE, I KNOW WITH THE WATER RATE, THAT IS A BIG CONCERN.
AND THEN I'D LIKE TO LOOK AT THAT AND ACTUALLY THEM HAVING A DIFFERENT TYPE OF WATER RATE, YOU KNOW, NOT NORMAL 'CAUSE THEY'RE GONNA BE AN ETJ.
SO IF THEY DO COME IN AND HAVE TO GET THAT SPECIAL USE PERMIT, THEY'RE GONNA, THEY'RE GONNA BUILD IN OUTSIDE THE COUNTY.
THEY'RE NOT GONNA BUILD THE CITY LIMITS BECAUSE WE'RE GONNA PRETTY MUCH NOT ALLOW THEM TO BECAUSE THEY'RE BE TOO CLOSE TO RESIDENTIAL.
BUT THERE'S THINGS THAT WE CAN NOT CONTROL AND THOSE THAT WE, WHAT WE CAN TRY TO CONTROL ON THIS PART, LIKE I SAID, I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE THEM HAVE A DIFFERENT WATER RATE THAN, THAN THOSE THAT ARE THE OUT OF CITY LIMITS.
THERE SHOULD BE A THIRD WATER RATE, A VERY HIGHER ONE FOR THEM.
'CAUSE THEY WILL BE CONSUMING A LOT MORE WATER THAN WE ARE.
AND KIND OF JOKING AROUND, KEN, YOU'VE NEVER DRIVEN A 68 C 10.
THE, YOU DO HAVE TO COMPLETELY KEEP CHASING WATER IN THERE.
UH, TO, TO BE CLEAR THOUGH, UM, AS WE TALK ABOUT, SO YOU MENTIONED ETJ, SO REMEMBER WE'RE NOT, WE'RE NOT GONNA BE REGULATING ETJ, BUT TO BE REAL CLEAR, UM, WHEN, WHEN THESE COME IN TO THE CITY, SO WE HAVEN'T REALLY LONG TERM WE, WE NEED TO DETERMINE THOSE DISTANCES TO OTHER USES, UM, WATER USES, THINGS LIKE THAT.
BUT WHEN WE START TO TALK ABOUT INCENTIVES VERSUS DISINCENTIVES, THAT WILL BE ANOTHER CONVERSATION.
THIS IS STRICTLY RIGHT NOW WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT IS ZONING.
SO IF, OBVIOUSLY IF COUNSEL WANTS TO APPROACH THAT, THAT TOPIC, WE WOULD'VE THAT AS A, AS A SEPARATE CONVERSATION.
WE GET A DATA CENTER THAT RUNS LIKE A TOYOTA COROLLA, BARELY CHANGE ALL THE WATER, NOTHING RUNS, BROTHER.
UM, JUST TO ADD ON TO THIS, AND THIS WILL AGAIN PROBABLY BE, UM, PART OF THAT CONVERSATION IS, UH, DECOMMISSIONING OF THE CENTER AS WELL.
SHOULD THEY LEAVE OR WHATEVER.
AND THEN ANY TYPE OF, FOR LACK OF BETTER TERM RIGHT NOW, A CLAW BACK.
AND SO IF THEY HAVE ANY TYPE OF INFRACTIONS OR IF THEY DO END UP GETTING INTO OUR WATER SYSTEM, COULD WE COME BACK AND SAY, YOU'RE OUT, YOU'RE GONNA HAVE TO DECOMMISSION AND STUFF LIKE THAT.
AND AGAIN, THOSE ARE PROBABLY CONVERSATIONS DOWN THE, DOWN THE LINE.
BUT SINCE I HAVE 'EM IN MY MIND RIGHT NOW, I'D LIKE TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT THAT.
AND THEN JUST AS WE KNOW, OUR MUDS LIKE TO EXPAND, UH, IF WE'RE NOT WANTING TO HAVE THEM CLOSE TO A, A NEIGHBORHOOD, UM, COULD WE, IF, 'CAUSE MOST OF THE TIME MUDS COME TO US TO EXPAND THEIR TERRITORY, WE CAN AT THEN AT THAT POINT MAYBE ADD SOME SORT OF PROVISION WHERE THEY CANNOT GET CLOSE ENOUGH TO THE DATA CENTER.
I MEAN, IF WE CAN, I DON'T KNOW IF WE CAN OR NOT, BUT KIND OF LIKE WHEN A BUSINESS COMES IN AND SAYS, OH, WELL YOU CAN'T BE 300 RADIUS OF A BAR, WHATEVER.
UM, COULD WE DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT IF A MUD COMES BACK AND WANTS TO EXPAND CLOSE TO THOSE AREAS? UM, I'M NOT, I'M NOT SURE ABOUT MUD.
YEAH, I'M NOT SURE ABOUT A MUD, BUT THE, THE REGULATIONS FOR PRETTY MUCH ANY USE THAT WE THINK HAS, UM, A SPECIFIC IMPACT, WE CAN DETERMINE A DISTANCE THAT MAKES SENSE TO HAVE IT FROM SAY ANY RESIDENTIAL OR SCHOOLS OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
UH, WE, WE CAN BUILD THAT INTO THE, THE CODE ITSELF.
SO THE, THE ONLY CAVEAT I WANNA PUT IN THERE, SO THE RESIDENTS KNOW IS WHERE YOU SEE THE DONUT HOLES OF OUR ETJ.
TO YOUR DIRECT QUESTION, IF SOMEBODY WERE TO PUT A DATA, UH, A DATA CENTER IN THAT ETJ AREA, WHICH IS NEXT TO A NEIGHBORHOOD, THE CITY COULDN'T DO ANYTHING ABOUT THAT BECAUSE
[00:35:01]
THAT'S THE HARRIS COUNTY AND THAT'S NOT, THAT'S NOT THE CITY.SO, UM, THE DIRECT ANSWER IS IF THEY PUT IT IN ETJ AND IT'S NEXT TO A NEIGHBORHOOD THAT'S, THAT'S NOT UP TO THE CITY, BUT INSIDE THE CITY.
AND, UM, I'M GONNA ECHO, I'M GONNA SAY DITTO TO EVERYTHING THAT'S BEEN SAID.
UM, I CAN AGREE WITH A DIFFERENT WATER RATE.
UM, IF THEY'RE GONNA USE OUR WATER AND WE CAN CAP IT, WE CAN ALSO CHARGE THEM A DIFFERENT RATE FOR IT.
UM, I ALSO WOULD WANT TO LOOK AT OTHER COOLING OPTIONS OUT OUTSIDE OF A CLOSED SYSTEM OUTSIDE OF USING SOMETHING THAT'S, UM, WELL, I CAN'T REMEMBER THE NAME OF IT, BUT I WORKED UTILITIES IN THE PLANT FOR A LONG TIME AND I CAN'T REMEMBER THE NAME OF REFRIGERATOR.
GLY HALL TYPE OF REFRIGERATOR OUT OUTSIDE OF USING THAT THERE, UH, I'VE DONE SOME READING UP ON IT AND THERE ARE SOME DATA CENTERS THAT ARE ACTUALLY USED, SOME MERGING THEIR EQUIPMENT AND THE, AND THE COOLING SUBSTANCE THAT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE REPLENISHED AND IT DOESN'T AFFECT THE WATER.
UH, NOW I CAN SEE WHERE SOME OF THEM MAY WANT TO USE OUR WATER IN AN EMERGENCY SITUATION AS A BACKUP PLAN IF SOMETHING WERE TO FAIL.
UM, I THINK THAT THAT'S WORTH THE DISCUSSION ALSO.
BUT EVERYTHING ELSE, I, I DO LIKE IT BEING IN HI WITH AN SUP 'CAUSE THAT GIVES US A LITTLE BIT MORE CONTROL, UH, GOING THROUGH THIS WITH THE CITIZENS IN LAKEWOOD WITH THE TANK FORM.
THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT WE, THAT WAS AN OPTION THAT WE HAD, BUT WE LISTENED TO THE CITIZENS AND DISALLOWED IT.
AND HERE WE ARE TODAY, NO LAWSUIT.
AND THE CITIZENS ARE VERY HAPPY AND WE PROTECTED THE INDIVIDUALS THAT WERE 200 YARDS AWAY IN A NURSING HOME.
BUT OTHER THAN THAT, THANK YOU AGAIN FOR THIS PRESENTATION, UM, HAVING EXHAUSTED EVERYTHING ON THIS AGENDA.
AND NOW ADJOURN THIS MEETING AT 5:40 PM AND WE'RE GONNA START THE COUNCIL MEETING AT SIX 30.