Data Centers: Is Crony Capitalism Selling Our Power and Fresh Water to the Highest Bidder
- Charles "Ghost" Coutts
- May 27
- 6 min read
(Opinion, Public Interest) For informational and educational purposes only.
It all comes down to money, as usual. The tech companies, driven by profit margins and shareholder expectations, are reluctant to invest in the necessary infrastructure and ongoing maintenance that would be required to effectively utilize recycled or desalinated water for cooling their extensive data centers. Instead, they often opt for the more cost-effective (for them) solution of using fresh drinking water, which, while cheaper in the short term, raises significant ethical and environmental concerns. Concerns that seem to be ignored by greedy politicians looking to cash in on the latest "gold rush". And it is not just about water. I wrote an opinion series that I will link to at the bottom for more context and other impacts.
This reliance on fresh water is not just a minor oversight; it is a critical issue that underscores a larger trend of resource mismanagement. By prioritizing immediate savings over sustainable practices, these corporations and politicians are essentially commodifying our fresh water supply, selling it to the highest bidder, and thereby exacerbating the scarcity of this vital resource while demanding that we cut back on our usage, gaslighting us into thinking we are the problem. This practice not only threatens local ecosystems but also places an unfair burden on communities that rely on this water for their daily needs.
The implications of this decision extend far beyond mere economics. As these tech giants continue to consume vast quantities of fresh water, they contribute to the depletion of aquifers and rivers, which can lead to severe water shortages in regions already facing drought conditions. It's already happening. Furthermore, the environmental impact of extracting and transporting water can be significant, leading to increased carbon emissions through the use of more fossil fuels, which many of these same people see as further contributing to climate change, which is creating an imminent freshwater crisis. Read that again, see the problem?
Moreover, the issue of water use in the tech industry raises questions about corporate responsibility and accountability. When companies, enabled by local politicians and lawmakers, prioritize profits over sustainable resource management, it reflects a broader disregard for the communities in which they operate. This creates a situation where local populations must grapple with the consequences of corporate/political decisions that prioritize financial gain over ecological and social welfare. Let's be clear about the process.
While the immediate financial benefits of using fresh drinking water may seem appealing to tech companies, the long-term consequences of this approach are dire. We must stand our ground and force these organizations to reconsider their water usage strategies and invest in alternative solutions such as recycled water or desalinated seawater. By doing so, they must reasonably ensure a sustainable future for both the environment and the communities that depend on these precious resources. The choice is clear: we must advocate for responsible water management practices that prioritize the health of our planet and its inhabitants over short-term profits.
The point here is that other options are available than using up irreplaceable fresh water supplies. Some data centers already employ them. Others simply don't want to pay for it if they don't have to, which means they are putting profit over human lives. I know, this is nothing new, but we must consider the scope of this particular issue. Water is life, so if we screw that up, we're talking an extinction-level event. Not just for humans, for everything that needs fresh water to survive, which is well, everything, plant, animal (including us), insect, all die. The Earth dies. The Ogallala Aquifer, the largest we have, is a favorite target of these tech companies. Imagine if something went wrong and some toxin contaminated that aquifer, our primary source of underground fresh water. I know, "that can't ever happen," said someone every time right before "it" happened. There are no do-overs here! I know these are extreme scenarios to make a point, but they are not outside of the realm of possibility either. History is littered with the scars of catastrophes that "couldn't ever happen."
There’s also a glaring level of doublespeak and hypocrisy. We keep hearing about an impending freshwater crisis and the need to conserve water. Yet, these same politicians, etc., are lining their pockets with money from big tech, allowing these data centers to consume billions of gallons of irreplaceable fresh drinking water, even in areas suffering from long-term drought. It makes no sense—unless we factor in corruption in the form of crony capitalism.
Polls indicate strong resistance from communities against these data centers that deplete their resources, often leading to higher costs in the long run. The risk-benefit analysis overwhelmingly favors corporations and corrupt politicians who sometimes strike deals without even notifying or consulting the community.
The real conversation should focus on how many of our local politicians are selling us out to these big tech companies, often without informing us of the arrangements. Communities find out only once construction starts, and by then, the deals have already been made. This is corruption; this is crony capitalism. History shows where this path leads.
Benito Mussolini is claimed to have once said, “Fascism should more properly be called corporatism because it is the merger of state and corporate power.” As a nation, we should pay attention to this definition and reflect on what’s happening with these data centers. If we connect the dots, we can still reach the same conclusions, even in this divided political landscape.
My stance on data centers is similar to my stance on "green energy." I recognize the need to explore wind and solar power for future sustainability, and I support that goal. However, I have concerns about the methods being employed; without addressing these issues, we risk catastrophic failures that have already cost innocent lives. Lives that didn't have to be lost, and as far as I know to this day, no one has had to answer for those lives.
AI technology is coming, and it will require data centers. However, the enormous facilities being built that deplete our resources are not just for your social media or email accounts—if they were, this push would have happened a long time ago. So, what are they really for?
Why all the backroom deals? Why keep communities in the dark and then gaslight them when they start asking questions? These actions aren’t those of honest people. Would you tolerate someone in your personal life who deceived you at every turn for their own gain? I assume the answer is an unequivocal no. So why are we allowing this from the people we elected and pay to serve us?
We need to reconsider our relationship with our local governing bodies. They seem to have forgotten that they work for us, and we have become complacent in reminding them of that fact. Now is a critical time to re-establish those parameters, as we won’t be the ones paying the price for poor decisions today. It will be our grandchildren and their descendants.
Fresh water doesn’t magically reappear. Once it's gone, it’s gone. Would we prefer that fresh water nourishes future generations, or is it more important to cool the servers of massive data centers that may ultimately be used against us? If these centers are built on a foundation of lies and deception, it’s not a stretch to assume there are some nefarious purposes behind them because dishonest people do dishonest things. That's just common sense!
This is something to consider deeply, my friends, especially since this issue is moving rapidly and should serve as a red flag in itself. Stand up, speak up, and take our power back from these corrupt politicians and hold them accountable because they have already proven that they care more about big tech money than they do about our families and us, or we would not even be having this conversation right now, would we?
Questioning what those in power are doing is neither a rebellious nor a political act. It is an act of self-preservation. We also have the constitutional right to do so, if we use it. If they are lying and deceiving us about this, what else are they lying to us and deceiving us about? Honest people who have good intentions do not need to lie about them.
Something to think about.
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