HomeMy WebLinkAbout2026-09-09 Gabriel Isaiah Aponte Support TestimonyFrom:OXO BSB
To:Planning LPC Testimony
Subject:Regarding A.I. data centers
Date:Wednesday, September 9, 2026 1:38:48 PM
My name is Gabriel Isaiah Aponte, I am 21 years old, and I live in Fern Forest. I am
submitting testimony in strong support of Bill 170 and urging the Windward PlanningCommission 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 objectiveand 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, andassociated 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 powersupplies; 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 multiplefacilities on contiguous or adjacent parcels under common ownership or control whose
combined electrical demand meets or exceeds 20 megawatts. This term includes facilitiescommonly described as large-scale, hyperscale, neocloud, and artificial intelligence data
centers and colocation campuses. This term does not include telecommunications facilitiesregulated 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 byside on adjacent parcels under common ownership. Together these two elements make the
prohibition meaningful and durable.As a 21-year-old living on this island, I am deeply concerned about what our home will look
like for my generation and those that follow. Hawaii's ecosystems are incredibly fragile, andour communities are already suffering from a critical shortage of clean, accessible drinking
water due to widespread pollution and aquifer depletion. AI hyperscale data centers requiremillions of gallons of water daily just for cooling, alongside immense energy demands that
will further strain our electrical grid and drive up our already nation-highest utility bills.Introducing these resource-heavy industries into an isolated island environment risks
irreversibly damaging our native ecosystems and exacerbating our water crisis for short-termtech expansion.
Our island cannot afford to get this wrong. Please recommend the strongest possible version ofthis bill.
Mahalo,Gabriel Isaiah Aponte
Fern Forest, HI