Stephen Richer discusses data centers on Arizona's Morning News

“They're going to be built,” former Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer said of data centers. “We can have a conversation about it, but it should be predicated on real facts about water consumption and electricity consumption.”

Richer joined Arizona’s Morning News on Friday to discuss a new billboard campaign from Project 48 Arizona, the nonprofit he co-founded with Josh Heywood. The campaign highlights data centers’ economic benefits and addresses their impact on water and electricity use.

Richer cited 20,000 Arizona jobs and $607 million in annual state and local tax revenue tied to the industry. He also said data centers would account for about 0.8% of Arizona’s total water use even if every proposed Phoenix-area project were built.

His argument: Resource demands deserve scrutiny, but economic benefits belong in the conversation, too.

Watch Richer make his case in this clip.