Ames city leaders want answers about how data centers might affect people’s health, local wildlife and even the temperature of nearby neighborhoods.
To find those answers, the city council plans to create a new group of outside experts called the resident data center study committee.
The council voted to form the committee Tuesday.
Why the committee was formed
The idea traces back to a July 28 council meeting, when the council set a nine-month pause on its decision about the data center. During the meeting, city staff presented a report listing 12 possible ways the council could regulate or limit new data center construction.
Data centers are sometimes large buildings filled with computer servers that store and process information for the internet. They sometimes use huge amounts of electricity and often need cooling systems that release heat. Some residents have raised concerns about how that heat, along with noise and construction, could affect the environment around Ames.
But council members also wanted to look more deeply into environmental questions they felt were not fully covered in the first report. Those questions include how much heat data centers produce, whether that heat raises temperatures in surrounding areas and how construction and operation might affect wildlife, habitats and human health.
To study those specific issues, the council decided to create a special committee composed of outside experts rather than relying solely on city staff.
How the committee will work
City staff will not serve on the committee or take part in its discussions. Instead, members must have expertise in a related field, either through their education or their job experience. Simply being interested in the topic will not qualify someone to join.
Two council members, Gloria Betcher and Bronwyn Beatty-Hansen, and ex-officio Iowa State University student Trey Anderson, will oversee the process. They will help select committee members and answer questions once the group begins meeting, but they will not decide the group’s conclusions.
The committee’s job will not be to advocate for or oppose data centers. Instead, members will search for published, trustworthy information from multiple perspectives. They will then summarize what they find and provide the information, with links to their sources, to the city council. The summary will help council members make informed decisions when they write policies about data centers in Ames.
All meetings held by the committee will be open to the public.
Timeline for the coming months
The process will move quickly. Applications to join the committee are open until Sept. 9. The council subcommittee will choose members by Sept. 13, and the full council will formally approve those choices Sept. 15.
The new committee will hold its first meeting by Sept. 30. At that meeting, members will choose a leader and map out a plan to research the issues. A council subcommittee member will attend to ensure understanding of the group’s assignment.
From September through December, the committee will meet as often as its members think is necessary. By Dec. 31, the group will finish its first round of research and decide whether it has gathered enough solid information.
If members feel they need more information, they will spend January conducting additional research. By Jan. 31 the committee will finalize which materials to include in its report.
The finished report will go to the council by Feb. 28 and committee members will present their findings in person at a council meeting March 13.
City leaders say the timeline could move faster if the committee finishes its work early.
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