An uproar in Mount Shasta City about a possible data center sucking up the community’s water and electricity may have been overblown. Inquiries had apparently been made about establishing an artificial intelligence data center on the outskirts of Mount Shasta City. The name of the company that wants to build the facility has still not been made public, but they’ve shown interest in the former site of the Crystal Geyser bottling plant, which has been vacant since 2021 due to opposition from various groups. Since the site is not within city limits, it falls in the jurisdiction of the county. This week the Siskiyou County Board of Supervisors was inundated with people packing their regular meeting to express outrage at the possibility of a data center. The board’s response was that they had not heard a word from anyone with any such interest, and perhaps a town hall meeting would be in order to air out the will of the people. Many in the community are breathing a sigh of relief for now, but they’re apparently ready for a fight. Petitions are still circulating to try to halt any future permitting of the facility.
-Steve Gibson