🌵 Desert Oasis or Digital Dystopia? Arizona's Water Crisis Deepens with Data Center Boom

💽 Silicon Desert's Thirst: How AI is Draining Arizona Dry 🧪 Environmental Racism: Who Bears the Burden of Tech's Expansion? 🗺️ Border Reality Check: Debunking the "Open Border" Myth

Based on the 10/24/24 Buckmaster Show on KVOI-1030AM.

🧠 Mindmap of today’s show

🙊 Notable quotes from the show

• "Data centers are the most significant user of power globally" - Steven Zilstra

• "The border is completely under surveillance... it's really anything but an open border" - Melissa Del Bosque

• "You can't just solve it by saying, we're going to designate them a terrorist organization and go and embalm them" - Melissa Del Bosque

• "Actually, the Biden administration has the highest budget for DHS more than any other administration" - Melissa Del Bosque

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⏮️ ICYMI: From the Last Show…

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😽 Keepin’ It Simple Summary for Younger Readers
👧🏾✊🏾👦🏾

Hey kids! 🌟 Today we learned about two big things happening in Arizona:

1. 🖥️ Big computer buildings called "data centers" are being built all over Arizona. These buildings store all our pictures, videos, and messages from our phones and computers! But they use lots of water 💧 and electricity ⚡ - which is tricky in our desert home.

2. 🏃‍♀️ People are talking about immigration at the border. Some politicians are saying scary things about immigrants, but remember - everyone deserves to be treated with kindness and respect! Many people come to ask for help (asylum) because they're trying to find a safer place to live.

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🗝️ Takeaways

• 🏭 Arizona is becoming a major hub for data centers, second only to Virginia, raising serious environmental justice concerns

• 💧 Data centers are massive water consumers in our desert state

• ⚡ These facilities are the "number one consumer of power in Arizona, in the US, and in the world"

• 🌡️ Climate change considerations are being sidelined for corporate profits

• 🧊 Claims of technological progress mask environmental impact

• 🗽 Anti-immigrant rhetoric is escalating in political discourse

• 🌐 Border militarization continues regardless of administration

• 💰 The "border industrial complex" profits from fear-mongering

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⏬ Jump to the 🦉 Three Sonorans Commentary based on:

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📻 What They Discussed

On October 24, 2024, the Bill Buckmaster Show, hosted by Tim Steller (Metro columnist for the Arizona Daily Star) filling in for Bill, featured two significant segments highlighting crucial issues affecting Arizona.

The show welcomed Steven Zilstra, president and CEO of the Arizona Tech Council, to discuss the booming data center industry in Arizona, followed by Melissa Del Bosque, founder of the Border Chronicle and longtime border journalist with over 20 years of experience, who provided critical insights into border politics and immigration issues.

🖥️ The Data Center Boom: Arizona's Digital Gold Rush

Arizona has emerged as the nation's second-largest hub for data centers, trailing only Virginia, with an unprecedented growth rate that leads the nation.

These massive facilities, some exceeding a million square feet, house servers storing our digital footprint for tech giants like Google, Meta, Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, PayPal, and American Express.

The state's appeal stems from its natural disaster-free environment, relatively low power costs, and generous tax incentives that waive sales tax on server equipment until 2033. However, these facilities are raising serious concerns about resource consumption in our desert state.

⚡ Energy Infrastructure and Economic Impact

The discussion revealed that Arizona needs to increase its power production by 40% in the next seven years to meet growing demands.

While there's talk of transitioning to clean energy, practical responses have included extending the life of coal plants and building new natural gas generators. The economic benefits touted by the industry - primarily construction jobs and tax revenue - seem modest compared to the resource consumption, with operational facilities employing only 5-20 people each.

🗽 Border Politics and Security Theater

The show's second segment critically examined border politics and the "border industrial complex."

Drawing from decades of experience, Del Bosque systematically dismantled the "invasion" narrative popular in current political discourse. She highlighted how the Biden administration maintains the highest Department of Homeland Security budget in history, even as politicians claim the border is "open."

🏭 The Border Industrial Complex

Del Bosque exposed how the perception of border chaos serves business interests, driving increased spending on surveillance technology, sensors, drones, and other security infrastructure.

She emphasized that the border is "completely under surveillance" despite political rhetoric suggesting otherwise, pointing to how this narrative benefits the security industry while causing real harm to border communities and migrants.

🌐 Global Migration Context

The discussion placed U.S. border issues within a broader global context, comparing our situations to similar challenges in Europe and other regions.

Del Bosque highlighted how the current political discourse fails to acknowledge migration as a worldwide phenomenon requiring nuanced policy approaches rather than simplistic enforcement solutions.

📊 Policy and Reality

The segment concluded with a detailed examination of asylum policies and the disconnect between political rhetoric and legal realities. Del Bosque explained how the CBP One app appointment system's limitations force many asylum seekers to cross between ports of entry, contributing to a narrative of "illegal" immigration that ignores the legal right to seek asylum regardless of the entry point.

These detailed discussions offered a comprehensive look at Arizona's critical issues: the environmental challenges posed by rapid technological development and the complex realities of border politics versus rhetoric.

💧 Water and Power: The Hidden Costs

The environmental impact of Arizona's data center boom presents a stark example of how digital colonialism intersects with environmental justice in our desert communities. Let's break down these hidden costs that weren't fully addressed in Zilstra's corporate-friendly narrative.

Water Consumption in the Desert

The revelation that each AI query consumes approximately 2.25 tablespoons of water should set off alarm bells in a state where water rights have been contested since before statehood.

Zilstra attempted to downplay these concerns, suggesting that "there are new cooling technologies that are being developed that are much more..." before being cut off - a classic corporate tactic of deflecting current problems with promises of future solutions.

Power Grid Strain

The interview revealed several shocking statistics about power consumption:

• Data centers are now "the most significant user of power globally."

• Arizona needs 40% more power generation in the next seven years

• These facilities are the "number one consumer of power in Arizona, in the US, and in the world."

Environmental Justice Implications

The most troubling aspect is who bears the burden of these resource demands. As noted in the discussion, "the most immediate effect of the demand surge will be increases in electricity costs, which will be felt mainly by those connected to power grids serving clusters of AI data centers." This means:

• Working-class communities face rising utility costs

• Local residents compete with tech giants for limited resources

• Traditional users, including agriculture and small businesses, may face restrictions

The False Promise of Green Energy

While Zilstra spoke optimistically about transitioning to clean energy, the reality is more complicated:

• Power companies are extending the life of coal plants

• New natural gas generators are being built

• The promised transition to renewable energy remains largely theoretical

Corporate Subsidies vs Community Needs

The current policy framework reveals disturbing priorities:

• Tax incentives for data centers until 2033

• Sales tax waivers on equipment purchases

• Limited job creation (only 5-20 employees per facility)

• Minimal community benefits compared to resource consumption

Long-term Environmental Concerns

The discussion failed to address several critical issues:

• Groundwater depletion impacts

• Heat island effects from massive facilities

• Electronic waste disposal

• Carbon footprint of backup generators

• Impact on local wildlife and ecosystems

Looking Forward

As our communities face increasing water scarcity and climate change challenges, we must ask:

• Who benefits from these resource allocation decisions?

• Why are corporate interests prioritized over community needs?

• What precedent does this set for future development?

• How can affected communities have a voice in these decisions?

Data centers' water and power demands represent more than just resource consumption - they embody a continuation of colonial resource extraction patterns, now in digital form.

As one facility in neighboring New Mexico plans to use up to 1.2 billion gallons of water annually, we must question whether our desert communities can sustain this development and, more importantly, whether we should.

When Zilstra claims these facilities are "necessary in our life, it's like electricity and water," we must challenge this false equivalency. Clean water and sustainable power for communities are fundamental human rights; corporate data centers that primarily serve tech giants' AI ambitions are not.

This issue intersects with environmental justice, indigenous water rights, climate change, and corporate accountability - all crucial concerns for our desert communities' future survival and sovereignty.

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🦉 Three Sonorans Commentary

🌵 Digital Colonialism Meets Border Militarization: A Tale of Two Profits

Today's episode of the Buckmaster Show perfectly illustrates how corporate interests continue to colonize our desert homeland while manufacturing fear at our borders. Let's break this down, familia.

💧 Water Wars in the Digital Age

In a state where our indigenous communities have fought for generations to protect water rights, we're now seeing tech giants drain our precious resources for their data centers. Steven Zilstra, representing the Arizona Tech Council, tried to downplay these concerns with corporate smooth talk, but let's look at the real números:

• Each AI query uses 2.25 tablespoons of water

• Arizona hosts 85+ data centers in Phoenix alone

• More facilities are planned despite our ongoing drought crisis

When Zilstra claims, "It's us who are allowing data centers to grow," he engages in classic victim-blaming rhetoric. Our communities aren't choosing to prioritize Big Tech's water usage over local needs—these decisions are being made by the same power structures that have historically exploited our resources.

⚡ Power Politics

The revelation that "data centers are the most significant user of power globally" should alarm anyone concerned with environmental justice. While our abuelos struggle with rising energy bills, these facilities are getting tax breaks and priority access to our power grid.

Quote worth noting: "The most immediate effect of the demand surge will be increased electricity costs, which we felt mainly by those connected to power grids serving clusters of AI data centers."

Who bears this burden? Historically marginalized communities, as always.

🏭 The New Colonizers Wear Hoodies

Let's be clear - what we're witnessing is digital colonialism. The tech giants (Google, Meta, Apple, Microsoft, Amazon) are following the same playbook as historical colonizers:

1. Claim resources (water, power)

2. Get government support (tax breaks)

3. Promise "progress" and "jobs"

4. Exploit local resources

5. Leave communities to deal with the consequences

🗽 Border Industrial Complex: The Other Side of the Coin

The second segment with Melissa Del Bosque exposed how the "invasion" narrative serves the same corporate interests. She pointedly noted, "There's nothing better for business than saying that the border is open, that we have an open border, that it's chaotic."

The numbers don't lie:

• Highest DHS budget in history under Biden

• Billions spent on ineffective "security" measures

• Thousands dying at militarized borders

📢 Call to Action

As a community, we must:

1. Demand environmental impact studies for data centers

2. Push for water rights protection

3. Challenge anti-immigrant narratives

4. Expose the profit motives behind border militarization

5. Support independent border journalism

🌱 Moving Forward

The connection between digital colonialism and border militarization isn't coincidental—both extract resources from our communities while maintaining systems of power and control. As Del Bosque pointed out, "Border reporting is more than immigration. It's environment, it's business, it's anything that's happening in the borderlands."

We must recognize these struggles as interconnected. The systems that justify draining our desert's water for corporate profit are manufacturing fear about our frontera. La lucha continues, but now we're fighting against physical and digital walls.

Remember: No human is illegal on stolen land, and no corporation has the right to steal our children's water future.

¡La lucha sigue!

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👯 People Mentioned

• Tim Steller

  • Metro columnist for Arizona Daily Star

  • Guest host filling in for Bill Buckmaster

  • Author of recent column about data centers' impact

• Bill Buckmaster

  • Regular host of the show (absent this episode)

• Steven Zilstra

  • President and CEO of Arizona Tech Council

  • Notable quotes:

    • "Data centers are the most significant user of power globally"

    • "It's us who are allowing data centers to grow"

    • "[Data centers are] essential to human life. Today, it's like electricity and water"

    • "We are second only to Virginia in number of data centers"

    • "We're number one in growth of data centers in the nation"

• Melissa Del Bosque

  • Founder of Border Chronicle

  • Long-time border journalist (20+ years)

  • Notable quotes:

    • "The border is completely under surveillance... it's really anything but an open border"

    • "There's nothing better for business than saying that the border is open, that we have an open border, that it's chaotic"

    • "Actually, the Biden administration has the highest budget for DHS more than any other administration"

• JD Vance

  • Mentioned in context of border rhetoric

  • Quote: "I think we've got hundreds of thousands of very fine Marine soldiers, sailors and airmen who are pretty pissed off at the Mexican cartels"

• Donald Trump

  • Mentioned in context of border policies and rhetoric

  • Referenced regarding militaristic approaches to cartels

• Barak Orbak

  • U of A law professor

  • Co-authored paper on AI electricity demand

• Eli Orbak

  • Co-author with Barak Orbak on AI electricity paper

• Todd Miller

  • Co-founder of Border Chronicle with Del Bosque

  • Long-time border journalist

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