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Home My WebLink About2026-10-13 Protect Ke'opuka Ohana Testimony c'd - by iC 1Dist'd lei l._._ FILE (COPY Protect Keopuka Ohana / Written testimony I October 13, 2026 To: Hawai'i County Leeward Planning Commission Hearing: October 15, 2026, at 9:30 a.m. Re: Agenda Item 6 - Bill 170, PL-CCI-2026-000018 Zoning for data-processing facilities and data centers Aloha Chairperson and Commissioners: Protect Keopuka 'Ohana submits this testimony in strong opposition to industrial-scale data-center development on Hawai'i Island. Our broader position extends to all Hawaiian Islands; today our request concerns Hawai'i County's zoning framework under Bill 170. We urge a clear framework that prevents industrial-scale data centers from being permitted through an overly broad data-processing classification. Our kuleana is to protect iwi kupuna, cultural landscapes, customary access, wai, 'aina, and kai. Our islands' resources must sustain Hawaiian families, agriculture, subsistence practices, and future generations. The evidence below supports precaution, public disclosure, and enforceable protection. 1. Hawai`i's own regulators recognize grid and ratepayer risks In testimony dated April 17, 2026, Hawai'i's Public Utilities Commission warned that isolated island grids are especially sensitive to large new electricity loads. Without safeguards, data centers could require costly grid upgrades, impede clean-energy progress, and shift financial burdens to households and small businesses. The Hawai'i State Energy Office also identified continuous electricity demand, water pressure, and land-use trade-offs. These are agency concerns and recommendations, not findings that a specific local facility has caused harm. [1] 2. Protect wai through independent assessment Berkeley Lab estimated direct U.S. data-center water consumption at approximately 66 billion liters, or 17.4 billion U.S. gallons, in 2023. This is a national estimate, not the demand of a particular Hawai'i facility. Cooling methods vary. [2] The PUC recommended an independent water-resource impact assessment before permit issuance and independently verified reporting of electricity, water, and greenhouse-gas emissions. [1] We request disclosure of average and peak water demand, sources, cooling methods, drought operating plans, and cumulative effects on aquifers, wells, springs, households, agriculture, and Hawaiian Homes communities. Infrastructure costs must not be shifted to residents. 3. Assess persistent noise at homes and cultural places Virginia's December 2024 legislative study found that some data centers generate persistent low-frequency noise that rarely violates ordinary noise ordinances, yet neighbors report effects on well-being. Most facilities did not generate complaints, demonstrating the importance of location and design. [3] We request independent nighttime and low-frequency sound modeling, baseline measurements, and enforceable protections at homes, gathering places, and cultural sites. Protect Keopuka 'Ohana I Bill 170 testimony 1 4. Protect residents from infrastructure and financial burdens Virginia's study identified risks from utilities constructing infrastructure for demand that does not materialize or for facilities that later close. Such costs could fall on other customers. The study found that data centers paid their allocated service costs under the rates examined, while forecasting that expanding demand would increase system costs. [3] Hawai'i must require enforceable financial guarantees and transparent allocation of construction, maintenance, and unused-infrastructure costs. 5. Examine growth and economic claims together Berkeley Lab's update published June 2026 projects data centers could account for 9.5% to 15.3% of U.S. electricity consumption by 2030. These are modeled national scenarios, not a prediction for Hawai'i. [4] Planning must assess cumulative demand and future expansion, not only an initial building. Virginia's study reported that a typical 250,000-square-foot facility may employ approximately 50 full-time workers, about half contractors. Much of the economic benefit occurs during construction, although facilities can also provide substantial tax revenue. [3] Any local economic assessment must distinguish temporary construction jobs from permanent local employment and disclose subsidies and public costs. 6. Protect kai, iwi kupuna, cultural landscapes, and access Applicants must disclose wastewater volumes, treatment chemicals, stormwater controls, disposal methods, and any proposed thermal discharge. Where pathways could reach the coast, independent analysis must address nearshore waters, reefs, fisheries, and subsistence gathering. Impacts depend on facility design and location; a claim of inevitable ocean pollution cannot replace site-specific evidence. Native Hawaiian consultation must begin before siting and design decisions are settled. Cultural review must address burial areas, historic trails, gathering, fishing access, and relationships connecting mauka lands with the coast. PKO's position is that inadvertently discovered iwi kupuna must remain in their original resting places, without removal or relocation. Development must accommodate their protection. Requested Commission action We urge the Commission to recommend a clear, protective zoning framework that maintains restrictions on industrial-scale data centers; requires independently reviewed resource and cumulative-impact assessments; protects residents from infrastructure costs; and provides meaningful consultation with affected Native Hawaiian organizations, lineal descendants, and cultural practitioners, with written responses and enforceable cultural protections. Electrical infrastructure must receive appropriate exposure assessment and demonstrate compliance with applicable standards. Our position rests on documented resource, land-use, noise, and cost concerns; we do not assert unverified EMF-related illness or livestock injury. Our position remains strong opposition to industrial-scale data centers. Studies and disclosures are minimum requirements for informed public review, not a promise of PKO support. Our kuleana requires protecting Hawai'i's people, wai, 'aina, kai, and ancestral places above private development interests. Mahalo nui loa, Jim Mokuohai Kahunanui Medeiros Sr. President, Protect Keopuka 'Ohana Michelle Niihau Wright Secretary, Protect Keopuka 'Ohana Protect Keopuka 'Ohana I Bill 170 testimony 2 Supporting evidence and references References correspond to the bracketed numbers in the testimony. Mainland findings demonstrate issues warranting review; they do not establish the impacts of a specific Hawai'i project. Agency recommendations and modeled projections are identified as such. 1. Hawai'i Public Utilities Commission and Hawaii State Energy Office Written testimony on HCR 206, HD1, April 17, 2026. PDF pages 1-2 contain PUC comments; pages 3-4 contain State Energy Office comments. Supports island-grid sensitivity, ratepayer safeguards, independent water assessment, and verified reporting. https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2026/testimony/HCR206_HD1_TESTIMONY_EIG-AEN_04-17-26_. PDF 2. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory 2024 United States Data Center Energy Usage Report, December 2024. Printed pages 55-58 address direct and indirect water consumption. The approximately 66-billion-liter direct-consumption estimate is for 2023. https://eta-publications.lbl.gov/sites/default/files/2024-12/Ibnl-2024-united-states-data-center-energy-usage-re port.pdf 3. Virginia Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission Data Centers in Virginia, Report 598, December 9, 2024. Findings cover energy demand, financial risks, noise, land-use compatibility, employment, and tax revenue. The report also recognizes economic benefits and variation in water use and residential impacts. https://jlarc.virginia.gov/landing-2024-data-centers-in-virginia.asp 4. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory United States Data Center Energy Usage Report: 2025 Update, published June 2026. Projects a 9.5%-15.3% range for the data-center share of U.S. electricity in 2030, with an 11.8% reference estimate. https://datacenters.lbl.gov/publications/united-states-data-center-energy-2025 Hearing reference Published Leeward Planning Commission agenda: October 15, 2026, 9:30 a.m.; West Hawai'i Civic Center, Council Chambers, Building A, 74-5044 Ane Keohokalole Highway, Kailua-Kona. Bill 170 is agenda item 6. This is a zoning-definition hearing, not a listed application for a particular data-center facility. https://statelegals.staradvertiser.com/2026/09/25/0001539009-01/ Protect Keopuka 'Ghana I Bill 170 testimony 3