HomeMy WebLinkAbout2026-09-21 Emma Stierhoff Testimony
From: Emma Stierhoff
To: Planning LPC Testimony
Cc: Kimball, Heather; Inaba, Holeka; Kagiwada, Jennifer; Villegas, Rebecca; Galimba, Michelle M.; Onishi, Dennis;
Hustace, James; Kierkiewicz, Ashley; Kanealii-Kleinfelder, Matt; Alameda, Christian (Kimo);
generalpla@hawaiicounty.gov; Planning WPC Testimony
Subject: Bill 170 & Planning Department Public Comments
Date: Monday, September 21, 2026 2:34:55 PM
Aloha Leeward Planning Commission and Planning Department,
My name is Emma Stierhoff, and I am from Hilo, Hawai'i. My testimony addresses both the Leeward Planning Commission and the Planning Department because you are asking the
community for input on the same concerns simultaneously.
I am asking our planning commissioners to reject the Planning Department’s recommendation, which prematurely revises regulations before defining what a data center is. Their proposal
currently lacks substantial safeguards. We must work to clarify definitions before defining regulations.
I support the intent of Bill 170, section 1, and urge the Leeward Planning Commission to
recommend a stronger definition of "data center" that distinguishes data-center processing. The original bill defines a data center using subjective language that a developer's attorney can
easily argue around in court. I am asking the commission to recommend an objective, airtight definition grounded in what the facility physically contains and how much power it draws.
Specifically, I am asking the commission to recommend this language:
"Data center" means a facility used for the industrial-scale operation of computer systems and associated equipment [for the processing, computing, transmission, or dissemination of digital
data] that requires supporting infrastructure beyond that typically accessory or incidental to office, commercial, or public and private institutional uses, including a single facility and any
campus of multiple facilities under common ownership or control whose combined electrical demand meets or exceeds 5 megawatts.
Given our limited water and energy supply as an island system, and the increased instances of
drought in Hawai'i over the past decade, data centers have no place in Hawai'i. We need to focus on taking care of the people, not allocating resources that should go to the people to data
servers. It is crucial that any ambiguous language be cleared up before passing this bill to continue enforcing that data centers are not permitted in Hawai'i.
Mahalo for your consideration,
Emma Stierhoff
96720