HomeMy WebLinkAbout2026-09-02 Liana Katase Support Testimony
From: Liana Katase
To: Planning WPC Testimony
Subject: Testimony in Support of Bill 170
Date: Wednesday, September 2, 2026 9:45:22 AM
Aloha Windward Planning Commission,
My name is Liana Katase and I live in Volcano. I am submitting testimony in strong support of Bill 170 and urging the Windward Planning Commission to recommend a
stronger definition of "hyperscale data center" before sending it back to the County
Council.
The original bill defines a data center using subjective language that a developer's
attorney can argue around in court. I am asking the commission to recommend a
definition that is objective and airtight, grounded in what the facility physically
contains and how much power it draws.
Specifically I am asking the commission to recommend this language:
"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."
The 20 megawatt threshold creates a bright line that cannot be disputed. The campus language ensures a developer cannot game that threshold by building
multiple smaller facilities side by side on adjacent parcels under common
ownership. Together these two elements make the prohibition meaningful and
durable.
“Ola I ka wai” means water is life in Hawaiian, and it is a value and principle I live
by. Having respect for water and honoring this element for its shear power to
provide or alter. Our islands water needs are increasing as our population
increases, and more businesses require higher usages to operate. If we are not wise about how we manage this natural resource, I fear we’ll be in trouble. I fear
that future generations will not have the opportunity to experience our native
ecosystems and natural wild habitats due to increasing threats and push for
capitalism across the nation. Please make a stand for protecting this resource from
being exploited.
Our island cannot afford to get this wrong. Please recommend the strongest
possible version of this bill.
Mahalo,
Liana Katase
Volcano, Hawai’i