The controversy over data center development has become a key issue in the recent elections, impacting Native American tribes. In this context, Native leaders participating in the elections, including Deb Haaland, who is running for governor of New Mexico, Sharice Davids, who is running for the Kansas House of Representatives, Mary Peltola, who is competing for the U.S. Senate from Alaska, and Peggy Flanagan, who is competing for the U.S. Senate in Minnesota, have been forced to respond to this issue.
Key Positions in the Elections
Flanagan won the Democratic-Agri-Labor primary for the U.S. Senate last month. Her Ojibwe name, "Gishiwidamokwe," means "woman who speaks loudly and clearly." She has spoken strongly about data centers in a debate in July and considers artificial intelligence an "existential threat" to society. In her campaign against incumbent Angie Craig, she has attacked Craig's ties to the cryptocurrency industry and has taken an anti-corporate money stance.
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Other Candidates' Opinions
Another candidate, Sharice Davids, an MMA fighter and attorney, has taken a calm and practical approach to data centers, stating that "no data center should move forward if it raises electricity costs for families" and prevents the waste of limited water resources. She has also highlighted her role in various committees, emphasizing that decisions are made at the state and local levels.
Deb Haaland has proposed generating energy from natural sources such as solar, wind, and geothermal to offset the energy consumption of data centers in her campaign. However, she has been cautious about her statements regarding the state's largest data center project, the Customer Project, saying, "I have no power to stop the Customer Project."
Peltola also spoke about data centers at a Labor Day event in Fairbanks, defending local support if there is no pressure on the existing power grid. However, she emphasized that she considers "the people of that area" as her source of inspiration, indicating that her position may be politically complex.
This controversy has also coincided with proposed changes to Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act, which examines the requirements for consultation with Native tribes. If these changes are approved, federal lands that Native tribes currently have the right to consult on under existing laws may be easily seized by data center developers.
