HomeMy WebLinkAbout2026-09-02 McKenzie Wildey Support Testimony
From: McKenzie Wildey
To: Planning WPC Testimony
Subject: Bill 170 / Data Center Testimony
Date: Wednesday, September 2, 2026 1:02:22 PM
Aloha,
My name is McKenzie Wildey and I live in Olaʻa, Kurtistown, Hawaiʻi Island. I am writing in strong support of Bill 170 and asking the Windward Planning Commission to recommend
one additional strengthening change before sending it back to the County Council.
The original Bill 170 language uses subjective phrases like "industrial-scale operation" and
"beyond that typically accessory or incidental to office, commercial, or public institutional uses" that a well-resourced developer's attorney can likely argue around. The definition
below replaces that subjectivity with objective physical criteria and a clear 20 megawatt threshold that cannot be disputed.
The specific language I am asking the commission to recommend:
"Hyperscale data center means any facility or campus of facilities whose primary purpose is
the housing, operation, or co-location of computer servers, networking equipment, and associated cooling, power, and support infrastructure, including but not limited to servers,
network equipment and appliances, telecommunications equipment, data storage systems, systems for monitoring and managing infrastructure performance, environmental controls,
fire protection systems, security systems, electrical substations, generators, and redundant power supplies; and which requires or is designed to require 20 megawatts or more of
electrical capacity at full build-out. This definition includes a single facility and any campus of multiple facilities on contiguous or adjacent parcels under common ownership or control
whose combined electrical demand meets or exceeds 20 megawatts. This term includes facilities commonly described as large-scale, hyperscale, neocloud, and artificial intelligence
data centers and colocation campuses. This term does not include telecommunications facilities regulated under Section 25-4-12, hospital or government data systems, university
educational and research facilities, or business offices in which servers are incidental to the primary use."
It feels especially urgent to ensure Bill 170's language explicitly restricts the building of data centers on Hawaiʻi island as our communities are currently experiencing the horrific effects
of anthropogenic climate change first hand. Our power grids are already stressed; after hurricane Lala, it took 16.5 days for HECO to repair our power line and restore power to
our home - and that was with the support from electric companies on the continent. There are still many people without power. As more and more people move to Hawaiʻi island the
grid will only become more stressed. Our water is one of our most vital resources and should not be diverted for cooling electronic equipment in data centers. All-in-all, it feels
like AI technology and data centers are being forced down our throats while many people try to scream that we donʻt want this technology in our lives, homes, or communities. I urge
you to do everything in your power to protect our land and natural resources from the deleterious effects of data centers.
Our island's closed water system, fossil-fuel dependent grid, and already strained infrastructure cannot support hyperscale data centers. Please recommend the strongest
possible version of this bill to the County Council.
Mahalo,
McKenzie Wildey
Kurtistown, Hawaiʻi