HomeMy WebLinkAbout2026-09-03 Kate Prescott Support TestimonyFrom: Kate Prescott
To: Planning WPC Testimony
Subject: Testimony Bill 170
Date: Thursday, September 3, 2026 4:44:53 PM
Aloha Members of the Windward Planning Commission,
My name is Kate Prescott. I live in Keaʻau and operate Hawaiian Beaches
Water Company in Pāhoa. I am writing in strong support of Bill 170 and
asking the Windward Planning Commission to recommend one additional
strengthening amendment before sending the bill back to the Hawaiʻi
County Council.
The original language of Bill 170 uses subjective phrases such as
“industrial-scale operation” and “beyond that typically accessory or
incidental to office, commercial, or public institutional uses.” These
phrases leave room for a well-resourced developer to argue that a proposed
facility falls outside the bill’s intended scope. The definition should instead
rely on objective physical criteria and a clear 20-megawatt threshold.
I respectfully request that the following definition be incorporated into the
bill:
“Data center” means a facility whose primary purpose is to house servers,
network equipment and appliances, telecommunications equipment, data-
storage systems, systems for monitoring and managing infrastructure
performance, and associated cooling, power, and support infrastructure,
including but not limited to 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 located on contiguous or adjacent parcels under common
ownership or control whose combined electrical demand meets or exceeds
20 megawatts. The term includes facilities commonly described as large-
scale, hyperscale, neocloud, or artificial-intelligence data centers and
colocation campuses.
The 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.”
This matters deeply to me both as a resident and as the operator of a
community water system. Our recent storms have again demonstrated how
vulnerable Hawaiʻi Island’s electrical grid is. With both the Hāmākua
generating facility and geothermal generation offline, a large portion of the
island lost power. Communities and essential services were forced to rely
on backup generators and limited fuel supplies simply to continue
operating.
At Hawaiian Beaches Water Company, electricity is not an abstract
infrastructure issue—it is what allows us to pump and deliver water to our
community of 1400 homes. When the grid fails, maintaining that essential
service depends on generators, fuel availability, staff access, and equipment
continuing to function under difficult conditions. Residents already pay
some of the highest electricity rates in the nation while living with a grid
that can struggle during storms and major generation outages. Adding
enormous, round-the-clock electrical demand from hyperscale or artificial-
intelligence data centers could place even greater pressure on a system that
is already vulnerable.
Water is one of our island’s most precious and limited resources. Hawaiʻi
Island has a closed water system, and the water available to us must sustain
our residents, agriculture, local businesses, ecosystems, and future
generations. Large data centers can require substantial amounts of both
electricity and water for cooling and operation. Once these facilities are
built, their resource demands become embedded in our island’s
infrastructure. We should not wait until our water supplies and electrical
grid are further strained before establishing clear protections.
Bill 170 is an opportunity to act responsibly before these developments
arrive—not after permits have been issued, infrastructure has been
committed, and our communities are left to absorb the consequences.
I respectfully urge the Windward Planning Commission to support Bill
170, recommend the objective 20-megawatt definition above, and send the
strongest possible version of the bill back to the County Council. Our
island’s water, electrical grid, and essential infrastructure must be protected
for the people who live here now and for generations to come.
Mahalo for your consideration.
Kate Prescott
Hawaiian Beaches Water Company
Pāhoa, Hawaiʻi