Rep. Joseph Sends Letter to Boulder County Commissioners

June 3, 2026

Dear Commissioners Levy, Lochamin, and Stolzmann,

I want to thank you for your leadership in approving a moratorium on data centers in Boulder County. Your decision demonstrates a commitment to thoughtful planning, environmental stewardship, and protecting communities before irreversible impacts occur. As artificial intelligence drives unprecedented demand for data infrastructure, local governments have an obligation to carefully evaluate the consequences for water resources, energy consumption, land use, and quality of life. Your action creates the space necessary to have those conversations and develop responsible policies.

I strongly support this moratorium and believe it represents an important step toward ensuring that Colorado communities are not forced to bear the costs of unchecked data center development. Across Colorado and the nation, communities are raising legitimate concerns about the enormous demands data centers place on water supplies, electrical grids, and surrounding neighborhoods. Other Colorado jurisdictions, including Denver and Larimer County, have similarly paused new data center development while studying these impacts and developing regulations.

I also encourage you to work closely with your rural counterparts across Colorado. Boulder County has the opportunity to help educate other local governments about the challenges associated with large-scale data center development and the importance of proactive planning. If wealthy communities determine that these facilities pose unacceptable risks to their residents and resources, we should should not simply shift those burdens onto rural or lower-income communities with fewer resources to fight back. A data center built outside Boulder County but intended to serve Boulder residents still impacts Colorado's water supplies, energy infrastructure, and environment. The costs do not disappear simply because they are moved elsewhere.

Colorado's future should not be built on a two-tiered system where some communities are protected while others are expected to absorb the environmental and infrastructure burdens. Every community deserves the same consideration, the same transparency, and the same

opportunity to decide what kind of development is right for them. I hope Boulder County will continue leading on this issue and partner with counties across the state to ensure that all Coloradans are protected.

Thank you again for your leadership and your commitment to responsible governance.

Sincerely,