HomeMy WebLinkAbout2026-09-20 Kau'i Lopes TestimonyFrom: Sheena Lopes
To: Planning LPC Testimony
Subject: ʻAʻole Data Centers RE: Data Center Zoning Legislation
Date: Sunday, September 20, 2026 1:59:04 PM
Aloha Mai Leeward Planning Committee,
I am writing to you as a native Hawaiian who loves and cares for our natural resources, specifically our finite
resources of fresh water. I urge you to reconsider Data Centers in Kona and all of Hawaiʻi statewide. Data Centers
use disgusting amounts of freshwater for their cooling systems due to it being the more “cheaper” way of cooling
these systems down. However, Kona does not have the infrastructure or water supply to currently fuel the
population there. I work in Cultural Resource Management and have seen first hand concerns of restort projects
proposed in Kona and the concerns of water supply and usage remain consistent throughout decades of planned
developments. The introduction of Data Centers and it’s normalization is scary. It gives no regards to the finite
resources that we have here on the island. These data center projects do not reflect what aloha ʻĀina is and goes
against everything Hawaiians have long fought for. I urgently remind you that presently Kona cannot meet the
demands of their population when it comes to water, do not further drain these resources for big corporations who
promise money and jobs. Data Centers need water but Hawaii does not need data centers. Think pono, think like our
ancestors who have managed and worked alongside of nature. Do not let the promise of money blind you from what
is pono. Keep Hawaiian lands for Hawaiians and those who love Hawaii. Data Centers are not pono and they are
NOT reflected in what it truly means to have love for our lands and resources. Ola I ka wai, ʻaʻole data centers!
i lā maikaʻi nou
Kauʻi Lopes