Over the past decade, Nevada has offered generous tax incentives to attract data centers. At the time, it was framed as economic development—jobs, innovation, growth.

But now, we are beginning to see the cost.

Data centers already have a profound impact on land, water, and energy use. And here in Nevada—a high desert state—those resources are not unlimited. Water is scarce, especially after a dry winter. Traffic is already strained along Interstate 80. And now, energy demand is surging in ways we did not anticipate.

In 2020, Nevada voters overwhelmingly approved a constitutional amendment requiring utilities like NV Energy to generate 50% of their electricity from renewable sources by 2030. It was a bold and necessary step toward a more sustainable future.

But earlier this month, reporting from The Nevada Independent revealed that NV Energy now expects to miss that target.

Why?

Because demand is skyrocketing.

In fact, NV Energy now projects nearly a 50% increase in energy demand compared to what it forecast just two years ago—driven in large part by data centers and other large-scale users.

At the same time, these facilities require massive amounts of water for cooling. And they are expanding rapidly. Today, there are roughly sixty data centers across Nevada, many clustered in the Reno-Tahoe Industrial Center.

Last week, Nevada lawmakers held a joint interim committee hearing to address these concerns. Advocates made one thing clear: we need standards. We need accountability. And we need to ensure that data centers are paying the true cost of the resources they consume.

Because right now, everyday Nevadans are the ones absorbing that cost—through higher energy bills, strained infrastructure, and environmental degradation.

Olivia Tanager of the Sierra Club Toiyabe Chapter put it plainly: regulations benefit everyone. Data centers should not be exempt.

Last week, I struggled. It was warm across much of the West. I told myself it was too early to turn on the air conditioning—but by Friday, I gave in. Later that evening, I sat on my porch, enjoying the warm spring air. And if I’m honest, I felt guilty. It’s only March. And yet, the Sierra Nevada already looks bare in ways that don’t feel normal. What little snow we had is disappearing fast. Climate change is not abstract. It is here. And at the very moment we should be accelerating our transition to clean energy, we are instead building infrastructure that dramatically increases demand—often without clear guardrails. We are moving in two directions at once.

We also do not live in isolation.

Global instability—from economic disruptions to ongoing conflict—continues to remind us how interconnected our systems are. We saw it during COVID. We saw it when global supply chains broke down. And we are seeing it again now.

What happens in one place affects us all.

And that is why public policy matters.

The decisions made in Carson City are not theoretical. They shape whether families can afford their energy bills. Whether communities have access to clean water. Whether we meet our climate goals—or fall short.

Policies are not just written.

They are lived.

And in many cases, they are the difference between stability and crisis… between health and harm… even between life and death.

Lutheran Engagement and Advocacy in Nevada continues to be deeply concerned about the rise of Data Centers in Nevada. We are a drought prone state, and clean water access continues to be a challenge.

So we must pay attention.
We must stay engaged.
And we must hold our elected leaders accountable.

Because the stakes are simply too high not to.