HomeMy WebLinkAbout2026-10-12 Samantha G Haney SupportFrom: Samantha Haney
To: Planning WPC Testimony
Subject: Bill 170 testimony from Samantha Haney <eom>
Date: Monday, October 12, 2026 11:41:24 AM
Attachments: Haney testimony Bill 170.pdf
WINDWARD PLANNING COMMISSION
County of Hawai’i Aupuni Center
101 Pauahi Street,
Hilo, Hawaii 96720
RE: Bill 170 testimony
Aloha Chair and Commissioners,
My name is Samantha Haney, and I live in Kailua-Kona in Hawaiʻi County. I have worked
in information technology for 30 years, and I am speaking as a resident.
My support for Bill 170's purpose stems from a desire to ensure clarity and fairness,
which I believe will help the Commission feel confident in the policy's eƯectiveness. I ask
the Commission to forward a favorable recommendation, with amendments that make
the definition measurable.
The current language, with terms like 'industrial-scale' and 'typically accessory or
incidental,' risks ambiguity. Clarifying these terms will help the Commission feel
responsible for creating a fair, transparent process and reduce disputes over definitions.
The Windward Planning Commission heard the same concern on Oct. 1 and voted 5-1 for
an unfavorable recommendation, citing confusion and loopholes in the definition. I share
the concern, but I think a favorable recommendation that tells the Council exactly what
to fix is the stronger path. Without the new definition, a data center can be argued to fit
"data processing facility," a use the code already permits in industrial-commercial mixed-
use districts.
I ask you to recommend that the definition:
Use measurable triggers, where any one is enough. Compare a facility's electrical
demand with the capacity of the grid that serves it, and its water demand with the
capacity the Department of Water Supply confirms for the serving system. Ratios work
better than fixed numbers because capacity diƯers across our island and technology
keeps changing. For scale, Hawaiian Electric reports 280.5 megawatts (MW) of firm
capacity on Hawaiʻi Island as of February 2026, and its January 2023 adequacy report
shows yearly peak demand of roughly 183 to 194 MW against a 30% planning reserve
target. A single 20 MW facility would be about a tenth of that peak. [Adequacy-of-Supply-
HECO-2023.pdf.]
Count the whole project. Combine buildings, phases and sites under common
ownership, control or a unified plan, so a large facility cannot be built in pieces. Modular
designs make this especially important.
Add a technology-neutral density measure, such as power per square foot, so the
definition does not depend on one kind of chip. Chip designs also change quickly: CPUs,
GPUs and TPUs diƯer widely in power and heat, and each generation shifts the numbers,
so any fixed figure ages fast. That is why the definition should not name a chip type, and
why a density-figure should be reviewed on a schedule rather than set permanently.
Keep exclusions narrow. Exempt only equipment that supports an onsite principal use
and is not leased or operated for outside customers.
Review on a schedule, because technology will change faster than the code.
Water deserves equal weight with power. A data center's cooling demand depends on its
design and on our warm, humid climate, and operators' published figures vary widely, so
I would not rely on any single claim. Locally, nearly all of the county's drinking water
comes from groundwater, and in May 2025 the Department of Water Supply asked
customers in North Kona and South Kohala to cut use by 10%. [North Kona residents
asked to conserve water.] I ask that the definition count projected water demand,
including cooling and makeup water, whether it comes from the county system, a private
well, or another source, so that a facility cannot avoid the test by drilling its own supply.
Measurable terms also fit the county's roles by enabling planning staƯ to rely on written
confirmations from Hawaiian Electric and the Department of Water Supply, simplifying
monitoring and ensuring practical implementation of the criteria.
Mahalo for the opportunity to testify,
Samantha G Haney
Sailing_malolo@outlook.com
808-557-4631Commission