An ELI Public Webinar
Artificial intelligence is driving a rapid expansion of data centers, bringing both opportunity and growing demands on California’s water resources. Yet policymakers and communities lack clear information about how much water these facilities use, when that water use causes negative impacts, and how water use is regulated at the state and local levels. Existing reporting requirements have not provided a clear picture of data center water use in California, and oversight relies on a patchwork of policies with gaps and inconsistencies.
A new report by the University of California, Berkeley’s Center for Law, Energy & the Environment, Regulating Data Center Water Use in California, examines the current state of knowledge on direct data center water use. The report maps the policy and regulatory framework and offers recommendations for the state, local leaders, and the data center industry.
This webinar will feature the report’s authors, who will provide an overview of their findings, along with water service and state agency representatives. Panelists will discuss how data centers fit into the current regulatory framework, how water use is considered in decision-making processes, and what the state, the industry, and local governments can do to better understand and address data center water use.
Panelists:
Michael Kiparsky, Ph.D., Director, Wheeler Water Institute, Center for Law, Energy & the Environment, University of California, Berkeley School of Law, Moderator
Marie Grimm, Ph.D., Environmental Policy Research Fellow, Center for Law, Energy & the Environment, University of California, Berkeley School of Law
Caroline Lee, Partner, DLA Piper
Sean Maguire, Board Member, California State Water Resources Control Board
Kirsten Struve, Assistant Officer for Water Supply Division, Valley Water
Materials:
Materials will be posted as they are received.
As a courtesy, the public will have access to a recording of this session (usually posted to this page within 3-5 business days).
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