By Duane Nava

Rural Colorado has always known how to build things that last. Our towns powered this state for generations. We built the power plants, the grid and the communities that kept Colorado moving. That same skill and work ethic puts us in a strong position for the next major opportunity coming our way: data centers.

A data center is a building full of computer equipment that keeps modern life online. When a student opens a laptop, when a rancher checks weather data, when a patient logs on to a telehealth appointment, when a business runs payroll, or when someone turns to AI for help, it all runs through a data center. Demand is rising fast. The U.S. is projected to need more than triple today’s data center capacity by 2030.

Rural Colorado has the land, the transmission lines, the workforce, and the know-how to win these projects. Many of our communities are also still preparing for and grappling with the loss of the major power generation and mining industries that economically drove our cities and towns. These major closures from Pueblo to Craig leave our hardworking residents without jobs, without opportunity, and without hope we can continue to raise our families in the towns we love and we have resided in for generations. 

Data centers offer rural Colorado communities a new opportunity for economic growth and revitalization — and we are ready. That’s why we support House Bill 1030.

Each new data center supports real people in real ways. A single project creates about 1,500 construction jobs, often paying around $140,000 a year—– jobs for electricians, welders, heavy-equipment operators, and tradespeople who already live close by. Once a center opens, it can support up to 100 long-term jobs in maintenance, energy systems and operations.

And anyone who has lived in a rural community knows what happens when a new industry or big construction project comes to town. Restaurants fill up. Hotels book out. Hardware stores stay busy. Local contractors get steady work. The money stays in the county, moving from worker to small business to family and strengthening the whole community.

If Colorado attracts just six new data centers statewide, workers could earn more than $2.57 billion in total wages. That money pays mortgages, keeps main street businesses open, helps parents save for college, and lets people build a life here instead of leaving for work somewhere else.

These projects also bring major tax revenue. In 2023, data centers generated $1.37 billion in state and local taxes in Colorado. For rural communities, that means stronger schools, more stable budgets, safer roads and the resources to keep teachers and first responders in our communities. Many school districts have already had to adjust. Pueblo, for example, has had to make hard budget choices as costs rise and revenue falls. A project on the scale of a major data center would help ease those pressures and create opportunities that keep people rooted in their hometowns.

People in rural Colorado care deeply about water, and for good reason. We understand how scarce it can be. Modern data centers, however, are more efficient than many realize. Many use closed-loop cooling systems that recycle the same water repeatedly. In many cases, a data center uses less water than a grocery store and far less than agriculture or manufacturing.

Energy questions matter too. Rural Coloradans feel rate changes first. But data centers pay the full cost of their electricity; they do not get special deals. Research shows states with low load growth see higher electric rates because fixed grid costs are divided among fewer customers. Large, steady customers like data centers help shoulder those costs, easing pressure on families and small businesses. Several utilities nationwide have documented this effect.

Data centers also support Colorado’s clean-energy goals. Our state aims for 100% clean electricity by 2050. Data centers are some of the biggest buyers of wind, solar and storage. Their long-term contracts help bring new renewable projects online, especially in rural counties.

Still, none of this should happen without local control. Communities must decide what fits — through clear siting rules, community benefits agreements, and projects that support local priorities. Rural Colorado deserves development that works with us, not around us, and House Bill 1030 provides those protections.

Our communities built Colorado’s power grid once already. We know how to turn big challenges into opportunities. Data centers are the next chance to bring good jobs, strong schools, and long-term stability to the places we call home.

Rural Colorado is ready to build again. Let’s support House Bill 1030.

Duane Nava is president and chief executive of the Greater Pueblo Chamber of Commerce.