Local Jobs, and Who Pays to Expand the Grid
Testimony in favor of responsible data center construction. About 200 local electricians a year travel out of state for this work, and the ask is that the moratorium not become a permanent no.
“I do believe that there is a responsibility for developers when they come in to bear that cost of the expansion of the grid if needed for their use and it shouldn't be put on the residents to increase their power bills”
Clip transcript
Automatic captions, formatted for reading.
SOUNDS LIKE A GREAT REPORT TALKING ABOUT WAYS TO PROGRESS AND MOVE FORWARD IN A POSITIVE WAY. IBEW ELECTRICIANS IN 73 I REPRESENT ABOUT 1000 MEMBERS AND RETIREES 700 AND 50 ACTIVE 800 ACTIVE MEMBERS AND OF THOSE 550 ISH ARE ELECTRICIANS AND APPRENTICE ELECTRICIANS AND THESE ARE GREAT HIGH PAYING LOCAL JOBS CURRENTLY WE PROBABLY HAVE 200 MEMBERS A YEAR THAT ARE TRAVELING TO OREGON AND CENTRAL WASHINGTON DOING THE WORK ON THESE DATA CENTERS FOR PROBABLY THE LAST 20 YEARS THESE THINGS HAVE BEEN DEVELOPED AND BUILT AND WE UNDERSTAND A LOT OF THE CONCERNS AND WE HANDED OUT A PACKET OF INFORMATION IN WASHINGTON STATE LABOR COUNCIL AND THAT'S A RESOLUTION THAT WAS PASSED BY BASICALLY ALL OF THE LABOR ORGANIZATIONS IN THE STATE TALKING ABOUT PRO DATA CENTER CONSTRUCTION IN A RESPONSIBLE FASHION AND IT'S REALLY WELL PUT TOGETHER AND WE'RE NOT GOING TO SAY THERE ISN'T CONCERNS WHICH CLEARLY THERE ARE BUT NEW TECHNOLOGIES HAVE ADVANCED AND THESE THINGS ARE GOING IN WITH THE NEW TECHNOLOGIES LIQUID COOLING SYSTEMS IN CLOSED LOOP DESIGN THAT DON'T HAVE AN EFFECT. I DO BELIEVE THAT THERE IS A RESPONSIBILITY FOR DEVELOPERS WHEN THEY COME IN TO BEAR THAT COST OF THE EXPANSION OF THE GRID IF NEEDED FOR THEIR USE AND IT SHOULDN'T BE PUT ON THE RESIDENTS TO INCREASE THEIR POWER BILLS YOU KNOW TO MAKE UP FOR THAT. SO I THINK THAT THERE'S POSITIVE WAYS TO MOVE FORWARD WITH IT