HomeMy WebLinkAbout2026-09-02 Briana Jones-Chase Support TestimonyFrom: Briana Jones chase
To: Planning WPC Testimony
Subject: Strong Support for Bill 170 and Strengthening Amendment
Date: Wednesday, September 2, 2026 6:08:05 PM
Dear Windward Planning Commission,
My name is Briana Jones-Chase, and I live on the Big 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 such as “industrial-scale operation” and “beyond that typically accessory or incidental to office, commercial, or public institutional
uses.” These terms could be open to interpretation and potentially argued around by well-resourced developers and their attorneys.
I respectfully ask the Commission to recommend replacing that subjective language with the
following objective definition, including a clear 20-megawatt threshold:
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.
This issue matters deeply to me because my family and I live on the Big Island. This is one of
the most beautiful places in the world, and people come from all over to experience its natural beauty, culture, and unique sense of place. This is also sacred land, and I believe we have a
responsibility to respect and protect it for the people who live here and for future generations.
We do not want large-scale data centers on the Big Island. Our water, land, energy resources, and infrastructure are limited, and we should be thoughtful about what kinds of development
we allow. The things that make Hawaiʻi special cannot be replaced once they are lost.
Our island's closed water system, fossil-fuel-dependent grid, and already strained infrastructure cannot support hyperscale data centers without placing additional pressure on
resources that our community depends upon.
Please recommend the strongest possible version of Bill 170 to the County Council, including the objective 20-megawatt definition above. Clear and enforceable standards will help ensure
that the intent of this legislation cannot be weakened through subjective interpretations or legal loopholes.
Thank you for listening to our community and for helping protect the land, water, and
resources that make the Big Island such a special place.
Aloha Briana