Simona Martin: Colorado’s data center boom needs public health guardrails

This commentary is by Dr. Simona Martin, a pediatric hospital medicine physician and advocate with Healthy Air & Water Colorado, a nonpartisan nonprofit that elevates the voice of health professionals on climate issues.

Colorado stands at a crossroads.

Our state is currently home to roughly 50 data centers, with additional large-scale facilities underway or proposed in Denver and Weld County. These facilities power the digital backbone of our economy, from streaming services to the rapidly expanding world of artificial intelligence. 

As a physician, I recognize that AI is already transforming healthcare. It can help streamline patient records and even predict disease outbreaks. Used responsibly, it can strengthen our health system. But as with any powerful technology, growth without guardrails carries consequences.

Senate Bill 26-102: Large Load Data Centers, sponsored by Sen. Cathy Kipp of Fort Collins and Rep. Kyle Brown of Louisville, offers a practical and necessary framework to ensure that data center expansion does not come at the expense of public health, clean air, reliable water supply or affordable electricity for Colorado families.

Data centers are extraordinarily energy-intensive. A single large facility can consume as much electricity as tens of thousands of homes. When multiple facilities cluster in one region, they place immense pressure on our power grid. Without clear rules, the costs of new transmission lines, substations and infrastructure upgrades can be shifted onto families already struggling with rising utility bills.

SB 26-102 ensures that large new electricity users pay their full infrastructure costs. That principle is simple and fair: Those who drive the demand should cover the cost.

From a public health perspective, cost shifting is not just an economic issue. Energy affordability is a health issue. When families must choose between paying their utility bills and buying groceries or medication, we see the consequences in clinics and emergency rooms. 

Electricity demand also affects air quality and pollution. If new demand is met by extending the life of fossil fuel plants or increasing generation from polluting sources, communities downwind bear the health burden. Exposure to fine particulate matter caused by such air pollution contributes to asthma attacks and heart disease, with children disproportionately affected. In Colorado, we already face worsening wildfire smoke and heat waves driven by climate change. Adding new sources of pollution would compound these harms.

Another concern is the widespread use of diesel backup generators at data centers. These generators are often installed to ensure uninterrupted operations. But when they operate during outages or testing, they can emit significant amounts of nitrogen oxides and particulate pollution. For communities located near these facilities, especially those already disproportionately impacted by pollution, this is not an abstract risk. It is air their children breathe.

SB 26-102 requires new large-load facilities to run on 100% clean electricity and limits strain on the grid. This provision aligns economic growth with our state’s climate goals and protects communities from avoidable pollution.

Water use is also critical. Many data centers rely on water-intensive cooling systems. In a state grappling with drought and water scarcity, large new water demands must be carefully evaluated. SB 26-102 places guardrails around water use, ensuring that local resources are not depleted without accountability.

Some argue that we should move quickly to attract tech investment and worry about impacts later. As physicians, we would never adopt that approach in patient care. Prevention is always more effective — and less costly — than treating harm after it occurs.

Colorado has an opportunity to lead. Digital innovation can coexist with strong public health protections. In fact, it must. The rapid pace of data center expansion makes timely action essential. Once facilities are built and infrastructure investments are locked in, it becomes far more difficult to correct course.

SB 26-102 does not block innovation. It simply sets clear expectations: Pay your own way, protect ratepayers, run on clean energy, safeguard air and water, and respect the health of surrounding communities. Public health should not be an afterthought in economic development decisions. It should be the driver.

As a physician, I see firsthand how environmental conditions shape health outcomes. Clean air reduces asthma attacks. Affordable energy keeps homes safe in winter and cool in summer. Stable water supplies protect communities from crises. These are not partisan priorities; they are foundational to a thriving Colorado.

With approximately 50 data centers already operating in our state and more on the horizon, the time to establish strong guardrails is now. SB 26-102 offers a responsible path forward, one that embraces innovation while protecting the health and well-being of all Coloradans.

Our digital future should not compromise the health of our communities or our children. SB 26-102 ensures it doesn’t.