Environmental & Energy
Sep. 22, 2025
Heat, water and Silicon: California's digital drought dilemma
California's booming data center industry faces a legal and environmental balancing act, as energy-intensive cooling systems, water scarcity, and strict state laws--from CEQA to SGMA and SB 100--create a complex regulatory landscape that shapes where and how digital infrastructure can expand.
Kyung-Bon Lee
Prof. Kyung-Bon Lee serves in the Department of Biology Education at Chonnam National University (South Korea)
Chang Kyoung (CK) Choi
Dr. Choi is an Associate Professor
Michigan Technological University
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Roberto Escobar
Roberto "Bobby" Escobar is general counsel, and an environmental and labor and immigration advisor.
California has long been both a laboratory for innovation and a crucible of environmental law. From the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) to landmark groundwater statutes, the state is renowned for legal frameworks that compel businesses to balance growth with ecological limits. Now, a new battleground has emerged: the data centers that fuel the digital economy.
The legal stakes are high. Data centers consume vast amounts of water and electrici...
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