HomeMy WebLinkAbout2026-09-11 Nicholas Kirby Support
From: Nicholas Kirby
To: Planning LPC Testimony
Subject: Support Bill 170
Date: Friday, September 11, 2026 6:20:47 PM
Aloha Chair and Members of the Council,
My name is Nicholas Kirby, and I am a resident of the Big Island. I am writing to express my
support for Bill 170 to prohibit the construction of AI Data centers in Hawaii.
Allowing these facilities onto the Big Island would be an environmental, economic,
and social disaster for our communities. We must pass Bill 170 for the following
critical reasons:
-Skyrocketing Electricity Bills for Local Residents Industrial AI data centers
demand an unprecedented, astronomical amount of power to run and cool millions of
servers. On an island grid where energy resources are already finite and electricity rates are among the highest in the nation, adding this massive burden would force
everyday local families to subsidize the grid infrastructure. This will inevitably drive
electricity bills even higher, placing an unfair financial strain on local households to
support corporate tech giants.
-Environmental Degradation and Toxic Air EmissionsThe immense power demands of AI facilities directly conflict with Hawaiʻi’s clean energy goals. To maintain constant operations, these facilities rely heavily on massive backup diesel
generators. Running these centers would release significant amounts of toxic gases and carbon
emissions into our atmosphere, directly harming our air quality, our environment, and the health of our people.
-Strain on Precious Water Resources and Man-Made Droughts
Our aquifers are sacred and limited. AI data centers require millions of gallons of
water every single day for evaporative cooling systems. Pumping this volume of water threatens to deplete our natural aquifers, risking man-made droughts that would
compromise our local agricultural lands and out-compete regular residents for access
to clean water.
-Overreaching Surveillance and Fourth Amendment Violations
Beyond the severe ecological and economic damage, we cannot ignore what these AI
data centers are built to do. Processing massive, industrial-scale data feeds opens
the door for Orwellian-style mass surveillance systems. Weaponizing artificial
intelligence to track, monitor, and catalog the data of the Hawaiian people is a
fundamental violation of our basic right to privacy and directly violates our Fourth
Amendment rights against unreasonable searches and seizures. We refuse to let our
island become a hub for digital surveillance over our own communities.
Conclusion
As stewards of Hawaiʻi Island, our responsibility is to protect the land (ʻāina), our resources,
and our people. Massive tech corporations bring virtually no long-term local jobs, yet they
leave behind a devastating footprint on our power grid, water supply, and civil liberties.
Bill 170 is a vital defense mechanism to protect the Big Island from exploitation. I strongly
urge you to vote YES on Bill 170.
Mahalo for your time and for protecting our island home!
[Nicholas Kirby]
[Pahoa, HI 96778]
[Nkirby@hawaii.edu]
Sent from my iPhone