AI data center public comment: video, transcript, and outcome

Chairman Patrick Crew: Start off with public matters not on the agenda. These are discussion items only. No action to be taken. Any person may address the board at this time upon any subject within our jurisdiction. However, any matter that requires action may be referred to staff and or committee for a report and recommendation for possible action at a subsequent board meeting. Please note there is a threem minute limit per person. When you come up, if you would state your name and please sign in on the paper on the podium and I hope they have pen there sometime. Mr. Chair, can I start this off though?

Supervisor Jeff Brown: Sure. Um I see a lot of faces out here that I recognize um for and against the uh II center and I've saw saw on Facebook and everything else. Um one of the things that I want everybody to think about before they come up and testify and I appreciate it is remember across the street the property is sovereign nation. the county would have absolutely no capability to stop it if the if the uh Indian tribe, excuse me, the tribe decided to allow the AI center to be on their property, they are allowed free will for economic development on their own property and the county would have zero capability. Um, so that's one of the things that I want to make sure that we're everybody's thinking about. If we say no to anything, say yes to anything, we should have some room to negotiate. And you know the other thing is is that since I did that tour many months ago and I gave everybody the the look at the the tour you know the the the power plant and the AI center that's you know possibly being put out there that it is also boutique size unit. It is not a gigawatt which we all see on on YouTube and see all those videos. I've had numerous uh interviews with people who build them, people that take care of them, and people have owned them. So, this is a it's going to be an interesting thing as Amodor County goes through this, but there is a pressure relief that Amodore County may not like because we have three casinos in this county. And that's one of the things that a lot of people voted and didn't want a c another casino and now we have three. So

Multiple speakers — Supervisor Jeff Brown / Chairman Patrick Crew: we need to be really careful where and how we go with this. Thank you. All right. Thank you, Supervisor Brown.

Multiple speakers — Chairman Patrick Crew / Nicole Visser: Okay. Good morning. Good morning. Um let's clear the air and look at the actual facts because a lot of Could you state your name, please? Oh, Nicole Visser. All right. Did you sign in?

Nicole Visser: I did. All right, thank you. Let's clear the air and look at the actual facts because a lot of what is being circulated about this project simply isn't true. When people hear the words data center, they panic. They picture the massive corporate storage complexes taking over other parts of the country. The ones that drain public water grids, uh, strain local electricity lines and roaring with giant walls of cooling fans night and day. This project is not that. First of all, it is incredibly small, only 41 megawws. It's not a data warehouse. It's an advanced high focus research hub for innovation. Second, it will not drain our water. The data center uses a completely self-contained closed loop liquid cooling system. It doesn't even have a pipeline connected to our public water. Third, there are no massive cooling fans. It won't create the industrial noise you are worrying about. And finally, it doesn't touch our power grid. It creates its own base load energy right on site. For decades, a restrictive anti-industry mindset has steadily choked out the very businesses that built our county. The gold mining, the logging, the lumberm milling, the historic lifebloods of our economy were all shut down by excessive opposition and red tape. We cannot afford to let that same mindset kill our future. We have a chance to take what was sitting as a non-performing asset and watch it become a massive source of local e economic strength. The group behind this has already quietly poured tens of millions of dollars into acquiring and breathing life back into the Borne a Vista facility. That is a massive concrete bet on our community before a single server has even turned on. Think about what this actually means for our county's bottom line. It brings a completely transformed tax base that will inject vital funding directly into our local schools, emergency services, and roads without raising taxes on a single family homes. It brings stable high-tech engineering and industrial operational jobs right here to Ion. But the real victory is the trickle down money. When you inject this level of capital investment into an isolated site, that money flows out. It means local contractors getting infrastructure agreements. It means technicians buying lunch at our diner, technicians fueling up at our gas stations, and tech operations utilizing regional agricultural and biomass waste from our local managers, land managers. Let's stop fighting ghosts, look at the actual engineering data, and welcome the kind of independent innovation and economic invigorating our county desperately needs. Thank you.

Multiple speakers — Chairman Patrick Crew / Eddie Onetto: Eddie Onetto. Thank you, Eddie. Morning, board members.

Eddie Onetto: Morning, members of the community. My parents told me, "Don't be bragging. People know what you do." It's not true. Not true at all. 1851, a little history in the Onettos. 1851, Jeppi Onto came here from Villa Onto. He was a dirt poor farmer that got here and helped a community that didn't have any food source uh eat. They brought a very famous onion with them. Today, it's called the Onetto onion. You'll see it at your farmers market. The red onion that came from Joseph Onetto uh my great-grandfather. By 1870s, 1880s Joseph had gotten a mule team became a 20 mule team. He end up hauling log to the Kennedy, the Argonaut, the Wildman mines, a lot of mines, the community. He helped them pull support those mines with those timbers that went down the ground as far as 5,000 ft a mile or so. He helped support this these mines and the community, helped make this community wealthy. By 1880, Jeppe's gardens were growing. He needed to have a wheel made so he could pump water out of the creek. He went to Knight's Foundry in Sutter Creek and together they built the wheel that doesn't even have cups on it. They built them, they hammered on an anvil. That wheel he used to pump water out of the comm out of the garden uh out of the creek for his for his garden. uh Knight Foundry later took that wheel concept and that's what became the foundation for that with Tesla the foundation for electrification of the United States. Emodor County had electricity before the turn of the century, 1900, and it helped my grandfather. By 1916, he had gone to the San Francisco Pan-Amean Pacific Exposition, met Faggel, he bought a 1916 Fragile truck, which the first logging truck in Amodore County, and a freight truck. He used that truck to help build Salt Springs, uh, Salt Springs, Electra. And today when you the friends of the McCome River, that water that flows down the river is not a natural flow. It's a comes from dams. The Onettos helped build that. They used their mule teams and they used their 1916 fragile. Picardo had the contract with P Gen to do the Drage and my and we're related to the Picardos. That's why my grandfather was there. Um, so for 168 years we've been here in this community and we've helped build so much of it. I could speak be stay here and speak for an hour on it. Um, what's going on down at Buenav Vista is a very very very very small project. It's five megawws with a maximum of 41 wherever it goes. Five megawws is not 500. It's not 6,000. It's not going to suck the water out of the community. And I've seen so many things that people say and I don't have a Facebook account. I don't want to be on there because I see people say things and I don't want to have hatred and disrespect for you for saying something stupid. That's why I'm up here in the very very beginnings. Um, you have lost over a billion dollars of industry in this community. You've lost a tax base. The particle board plant 300 million. Sawmill, you couldn't replace it for 200 million. Um, you used to have a particle a plywood plant, too. It's gone. There was Prospeck Motors, car dealership. It's gone. The Spanettes bike shop was one of the largest in the United States. It's gone. Um, Denny's, Burger King, Kentucky Fried Chicken, no gold mines running. Clay mines are mostly shut down. One mine in Ion produced over two million truckloads of glass sand for glasses that we we use in this country. It's hardly operating. So, there's a lot of inaccurate nonsense going on about this thing, this plower plant. We own 300, the O'Neal group owns 350 acres there, and we're not going to allow anybody to come on there and build something to destroy the community. This is a community asset. Oh, in my hand here are tax bills. One sheet of paper in here is $35,000. I'm quite confident. I didn't add them up because I don't want I don't want to know. I didn't Okay, Pat's telling me my time's getting kind of short. I appreciate it, Pat. I don't want to run on. I I would like an hour to address the board and the community. And I know you don't have the luxury of giving me that. So, thank you very much.

Multiple speakers — Chairman Patrick Crew / Jackie Vaughn: All right. Thank you for your brevity. All right. Good morning. Good morning.

Jackie Vaughn: Uh my name is Jackie Vaughn. Uh good morning chair and supervisors. Um I'm a resident of Emor County and I'm speaking in support of a temporary countywide pause on new or expanded data center approvals while the county develops transparent evidence-based permanent land use rules. A lot of people talking about this and that what's true and what isn't. We're not asking the board to decide today whether every data center should be prohibited forever. We're asking the board to protect its ability to make that decision after the public has the facts. The facts. Large-scale data centers are not ordinary businesses. And granted, maybe this one is small. Um they happen to use computers. They can be high intensity industrial operations with enormous electrical loads, continuous operations, industrial operations, uh cooling systems, water demand, wastewater treatment residuals, backup generation, batteries, substations, heavy construction, road impacts, noise, lighting, fire protection needs, emergency response demands. Amar County does not yet have a countywide policy specifically addressing where this type of use belongs, what scale is appropriate, whether it requires discretionary review, what environmental information must be disclosed, or how developers must pay for the public infrastructure and emergency service impacts they create. The Bueno Vista proposal demonstrates why the county needs to act now. Public materials describe an AI data center concept linked to the former biomass facility, but the public still needs a complete and transparent record describing all proposed components: computing operations, power generation, fuel handling, cooling, water source, wastewater batteries, fire protection, grid facilities, truck traffic, and construction. You know, we don't know this. So that's why we're asking for a moratorum. Let's kick back, study it, look at it before anything even comes to us. Other jurisdictions have recognized that it is unwise to let high impact data center proposals shape public policy one permit at a time. Imperial County adopted a data center moratorum while it studies regulations. Tilary County adopted an interim pause for unincorporated areas. Lynn County, Iowa, adopted an 18-month moratorium on certain large-scale data center reszoning applications while reviewing whether its regulations are adequate. And Governor Nuomo just signed in some laws last night. What are those? I haven't had a chance to look at them. Amar County can take the same prudent approach. A temporary pause would not decide the permanent outcome. It would preserve the county's ability to make informed decisions before permits, commitments, and infrastructure arrangements become irreversible. We ask the board to direct county council and planning to bring forward an urgency interim ordinance under government code section 65858. The ordinance should temporarily prevent approval of new or expanded large-scale data centers while the county completes a public land use, infrastructure, and environmental standards study. The board can then decide permanent policy with a complete factual record, public participation, and enforceable standards. Thank you.

Chairman Patrick Crew: Thank you. Next.

Multiple speakers — Chairman Patrick Crew / Peggy Flynn: I don't like speaking. You did well. Thank you. Good morning. Good morning. Thank you, chair board.

Peggy Flynn: My name is Peggy Flynn and I'm speaking in support of a temporary countywide pause on new or expanded largescale data center approvals while the county develops transparent evidence-based permanent land use rules. We are not asking the board to decide today whether every data center should be prohibited forever. We are asking the board to protect its ability to make that decision after the public has the facts. I'm speaking about land use S squa and the need to define and evaluate the whole project. A large-scale data center may be presented as a building, a utility upgrade, a cooling system, a generator, a battery installation, or an industrial tenant. But the actual project may include all of those things. Data processing, power supply, cooling, water, wastewater, backup generation, batteries, substations, fuel handling, truck traffic, roads, drainage, construction, and 24-hour operations. The county needs a rule that such connected components are evaluated together, not one permit at a time and not one agency file at a time. The Buenov Vista site has a documented historic biomass facility approval history and that is relevant. But it does not answer the separate question of whether a proposed new or expanded AI data data center use, expanded generation capacity, pyrolysis or sin gas process, biochar operation, cooling system, water or wastewater facility, battery system, solar facility or a utility upgrade is within the scope of historic approvals. The community is not asking the board to prejudge that question. We are asking the county to identify the actual historical permits, current land use designation, zoning requirements, non-conforming use status if any, current application status, discretionary approvals, squa pathway, and every proposed project component. The historic county record includes a 2011 notice of determination for a Buenov Vista biomass power use permit amendment. That past approval must be compared to the actual new proposal, not treated as a blanket approval for a different or expanded enterprise. A countywide pause would also allow the county to decide whether largescale data centers should be prohibited, restricted to carefully selected districts, subject to a conditional use permit, limited by power water thresholds, excluded from wildfire or groundwater sensitive areas, or regulated through other enforcable standards. The county needs a clear definition of a large-scale data center and an integrated project rule ensuring that the computing facility, power, cooling, water, fuel, batteries, utility improvements, and construction are evaluated together. Please place a temporary pause and permanent zoning work program on a forthcoming agenda. Thank you. you. Next.

Multiple speakers — Chairman Patrick Crew / Becky McKenna: Good morning. Good morning. Signing in.

Becky McKenna: Good morning. My name is Becky McKenna and I too am in a resident of Amodore County. I'm here to strongly support the whole idea of putting a pause on any new any sort of new or expanded largecale data operation centers. This morning I'd like to talk to you about one of the biggest issues this type of project takes on and that's water drought resilience, wastewater and groundwater protection. Data centers vary greatly in their water demands. Some use largely air cooled or closed loop systems. Others may depend on liquid cooling, evaporative cooling, cooling towers, water treatment, chemical additives, and also periodic discharge of concentrated cooling water blowdown treatment residuals. Our community is too important for all of us to merely rely on marketing statements about water efficiency. Count Amador County must have a total and complete engineering water balance. That includes the annual, monthly, the annual, the maximum day, the minimum hour, water demand, water for construction, cooling makeup, water, fire test water, fire suppression, water storage, chemical use, wastewater characteristics, treatment system, discharge point, and droughtyear supply reliability. These questions and those answers would not just clarify how much water enters the facility, but also tell us where each water stream comes from, how it's used, what substance it contacts, and where it ultimately goes. This rich agricultural area that is home to so many in Bua Vista deserves an involved and very careful baseline review. The former biomass facility is subject to the central valley regional water quality control board monitoring for class 2 surface impoundments. That monitoring program includes gra includes groundwater vose zone leate and impoundment monitoring as well as addresses VOCC's dissolved metals salts nitrate ph sorry conductivity and groundwater flow. However those monitoring requirements do not establish contamination. It establishes that the subsurface conditions, wastewater pathways, and water quality protections are material issues that should be understood before any intensity new industrial operations are approved. The project area being considered is within the McColy Comanche system. Comanche Reservoir is part of part part of East Bay Mud's downstream Moch River operations and being there does not establish it as an an available unlimited water supply for industrial use. The county must require sorry I don't want to forget anything. The county must require source specific and dryyear reliability analysis before allowing any new water intensive development. In closing, Amodore County must develop public standards for all areas involved before approving a high intensity data center development. As for our precious water, we need to know it is protected against any and all conditions that could change our way of life here in Amadore. We must plan an interim data center ordinance on a future agenda and direct staff to prepare the water and wastewater analysis for permanent policies that our community can support. Thank you for your time in this matter and this is a big one. Thank you. Thank you.

Carla Bowers: Good morning, chairman, supervisors. My name is Carla Bowers and I'm speaking to the potential data center fiscal accountability and transparency aspects. I am a resident of Amodore County, have been for 26 years. I'm also speaking in support of a temporary countywide pause on new or expanded largescale data center approvals while the county develops transparent and evidence-based permanent land use rules. Again, we're not asking the board to decide today, of course, whether every data center should be prohibited forever. That's not what we're here for. We're asking the board to protect its ability to make that decision after the public has all the facts. So again, we're speaking about public accountability, infrastructure costs, and transparency. Large data center proposals can involve much more than land use, as I know you know. They can involve electrical service, substations, transmission or distribution improvements, roads, drainage, water, wastewater, fire protection, emergency response, technical consultants, inspection staff, tax arrangements, fee wavers, public infrastructure commitments. It's so much. It's so involved. The county should know and the public should know who pays for those impacts before approvals are issued. A data center developer may promise investment or jobs. The board should insist on a transparent fiscal analysis that separates construction employment from long-term jobs, identifies all required public services, quantifies capital and ongoing costs, and shows whether the developer will fully fund project cause infrastructure monitoring and emergency response needs. The public also needs to know whether the county has had pre-application discussions, whether any confidentiality agreements or non-disclosure agreements exist, whether staff have made statements about expedited permitting or infrastructure support, and whether any incentive, service or fee arrangement has been discussed. This is not an accusation. It's a request for normal public accountability before a major industrial use is approved. A temporary pause gives the county time to conduct a public fiscal and infrastructure study. It can identify road improvements, water and fire flow capacity, electrical upgrades, emergency service needs, staffing costs, wastewater requirements, and the developer's financial responsibility for each impact. This is a lot of information. This is a lot to be concerned about. Other jurisdictions have adopted temporary moratoria so that local rules, not private negotiations or rust applications, govern high impact data center development. Recent reporting shows a growing number of local governments taking this approach as data center proposals raise concerns about water infrastructure noise, public costs, and community compatibility. No largescale data center approval should move ahead before the public knows the project's road, fire, water, wastewater, electrical, and emergency service costs, whether public subsidies or infrastructure commitments are contemplated, and whether the developer will fully fund project caused impacts. I'm asking and all of us in this front row here are asking you to direct a public fiscal and infrastructure study

Multiple speakers — Carla Bowers / Chairman Patrick Crew: during an interim pause. Thank you so much. Thank you, Carla. Good morning.

Laura Paul: Good morning. I Good morning, chair and supervisors. Um I'm Laura Paul, a resident of Amador County. And if my face and name are new to you, it's because I moved up here only 5 years ago in search of a more peaceful life. Silly me. It turns out that the critical issues that we face as a nation find us everywhere in cities and in the so-called country. And there are reasons what there are reasons why the issues surrounding AI and the data centers that support it have surged to the front and center of our national attention. no matter where we live. I'm also speaking as a concerned citizen in support of that temporary countywide pause on any new or expanded large-scale data center approvals while the county develops transparent evidence-based permanent land use rules. And obviously I'm not asking the board to decide today whether any and all data centers should be prohibited forever. But I'm asking the board to protect its ability to make that decision after they and the public have all the pertinent facts. This request is about community values. Something that I think has unites many of us across the proverbial aisle. The request is about orderly planning, public participation, and stewardship of Amodore County's rural communities, its water, roads, emergency services, public resources, and no less importantly, its quality of life. As you've heard, residents near the proposed Buenov Vista uh data center concept have reasonable questions about water sourcing and usage, drought, wastewater, groundwater, air emissions, fire safety, evacuation plans, road access, truck traffic, noise, 247 lighting, energy, infrastructure, public costs, and the resulting and the relationship between the existing biomass facility and any proposed new operations. Those questions should not be answered after a project is already entitled, after public infrastructure has been committed, or after the county is told that it's too late to change course. We should learn from what has happened elsewhere. Communities have pressed local governments to slow down, disclose project details, evaluate infrastructure needs, and adopt rules before approving high impact or even low impact data centers. In Elsagundo, uh, extensive public opposition reportedly contributed to the withdrawal of a data center proposal. Imperial County adopted a moratorum while it evaluates appropriate standards and public review. Similar actions are underway in Alama County. And as I'm sure you're aware, next door Calaveris County adopted a 45day urgency ordinance um imposing a a moratorum temporary moratorium on the construction and development of large-scale AI data data centers just last months. We should uh we should head off the consequences of poor planning that can so massively impact populations near data centers. Amodore County can choose a path that is neither reflexively anti-technology nor blindly permissive. The county can require full disclosure, establish a public study process, involve residents and affected agencies, and then adopt permanent land use rules that reflect actual county conditions and the vision of the place that we want to be. I'm one of an ad hoc group of citizens that has formed and is growing to ask these critical questions and support the process of getting informed answers. We are asking for a process that includes the board of supervisors, planning commission, county staff, fire and water agencies, local tribes, yes, um, utility providers, technical experts, businesses, and the public because there is already a lot of public opinion on this issue. So, this is a request for orderly planning, transparency, and public participation. adopt a temporary pause, establish an open study process, and then determine permanent county policy before any new or expanded large-scale data center project becomes a feta complete. Is there really any other reasonable way to go about it? Thank you.

Chairman Patrick Crew: Thank you, Laura. Good morning.

Mara Feny — spelling as transcribed: Good morning, chair and uh supervisors. My name is Mara Feny. I live in Amadore County, not for hundreds of years, but a few decades now. And um I want to address uh support essentially the temporary um pause on approving uh new data centers while uh we look at some developing some permanent land use and protection community protection rules. We're asking the board to protect its ability to make the decision after you and the public have all the facts. I want to address a few issues that people haven't talked about yet, including um wildfire issues, industrial fire risk, emergency response, and evacuation questions. I mean, as we all know, the traffic situation alone has changed a lot since um the initial environmental review was done on that biomass plant. Uh the casino traffic is going along Coalmine Road now, and uh it's it's a different situation out there. Um, and a data center is not just an ordinary warehouse type of a building. It may operate continuously with high voltage electric equipment, transformers, substations, backup generators, batteries, cooling equipment, fuel systems, and high heat loads. At the Buenav Vista location, the connection to a former biomass powered facility increases the need for a complete integrated fire safety review. Depending on the actual project description, which by the way, we don't know. There hasn't been an application filed for the county yet. So all this discussion about the facts of what's going to be proposed or what is being proposed and where it's going to be, whose land it will be on, we don't know any of that until we see an actual application. But it's going to need a a complete integrated fire safety review. Um the operation could involve biomass storage, wood dust, ash, char, thermal processing, sin gas, and other combustible gas systems, turbines or generators, batteries, high voltage systems, trucks, industrial fire suppression. um equipment, etc. These aren't separate issues. They combine into one single emergency response and wildfire resilience question. Amodore County uh basically all of this the parts of unincorporated county fall within one of CalFire's mapped fire hazard severity zones, either moderate, high, or very high. Before approving a highintensity industrial operation, the county should determine the exact hazard classification and whether the site is in the state responsibility area or local responsibility area and if in fact the a data center is going to be on federal land. We're not changing federal law, but the biomass uh facility now certainly is in unincorporated county land. So before um approving, we should know these things. Um, there are specific basic public safety questions such as can fire equipment reach the facility during a regional wildfire or evacuation event? Are coal mine, road and related access routes adequate for fire apparatus uh workers, fuel deliveries, construction traffic, and nearby residents evacuating at the same time? Is dependable fire flow available, including on-site storage, backup pumping, and emergency power? Who will fund additional staffing equipment? staffing or equipment, inspections, training, and industrial fire response capacity in our county. What standards apply to biomass storage, batteries, generators, combustible gases, wood dust, and high voltage infrastructure? And finally, can the facility safely shut down in a wildfire, a smoke event, a grid outage, or evacuation emergency? These questions should be resolved first and uh not after county approvals occur. Before approval, the county needs um to develop countywide standards for wildfire exposure, emergency access, evacuation, fire flow, battery systems, high voltage equipment, biomass and thermal processes where applicable, and developer funded response capacity. Please bring forward an interim pause so that we can study these public safety standards, develop the standards, and uh consider these questions before and and not after approvals. Thank you very much.

Multiple speakers — Mara Feny / Chairman Patrick Crew: Thank you. Good morning.

Julie Delbarba: Good morning. Uh, good morning, chair and members of the board. My name is Julie Delbarba. My family lives very close to the biomass facility and the proposed AI center. I am here to address my concerns regarding New York Greencloud's purchase and refurbishment of the biomass facility and the proposed 41 megawatt AI center. Amodore County has vast amounts of beautiful open space. Families live here because of the rural landscape, the nature, beautiful lakes, fresh mountain air, the peaceful environment, and for the overall connection to the land and the community. I believe AI centers are the complete opposite of this. Not only do they swallow up natural resources, the evening sounds of nature and peaceful dark nights are infected with constant noise and glare from intense lights. The air quality becomes negatively impacted by the release of particulants and emissions. Fire risk becomes higher by introducing combustible materials, generators, battery equipment, and increased electrical equipment. The peaceful atmosphere becomes overtaken by industrial chaos. It is apparent that AI facilities are blanketing regions around the world. Existing giant multi-million dollar companies along with new tech companies scan the earth all in search for cheap land, continuous large parcels, resources, infrastructure, and tax breaks. The citizens who work, live, raise their families, pay their taxes, and invest their lives into the community must be provided with transparency. Communities need adequate time for studies that will properly evaluate the overall cumulative effects of these facilities before decisions are made. It is noted that at least 200 cities, counties, and townships over 40 states have enacted some form of moratorum or similar pause. There are many established facts that prove the impacts of an AI facility, but there are also many potential and uncertain cumulative impacts that are not yet known. I am here to ask that our representatives examine the known impacts, consider the cumulative improbable impacts, and recognize what we do not yet know before making decisions that could permanently affect the community. I would like to thank the board for listening to these concerns. I ask that this board represents the community as a whole and consider placing a moratorum on all AI facility applications until these impacts can be properly studied and better understood. Thank you.

Chairman Patrick Crew: Thank you. Thank you for signing in to Mr. Barco.

Craig Baracco — Foothill Conservancy: Good. Uh, good morning. Uh, Craig Barco, um, executive director of Foothill Conservancy. Um, the conservancy has announced our support for the call for a moratorum on uh, new data center construction. You can read about our case for it on our website or on our Facebook page. Went out uh, yesterday. So, we'd like to uh join our voice with the others speaking here today. Um to address a few items that have come up uh not uh don't want to be too repetitive. Um we've Thank you. covered most of uh most of what we what we've said um has been covered already, but just to um address a few items. uh 40 megawws which is the size the announced size of the project in Buenav Vista um shouldn't be characterized as minor or tiny or small. It is small in comparison to a one gigawatt facilities that they're being proposed and being constructed in other places but up until a couple years ago one a single facility that uses one gawatt of power was unimaginable. Right? That is a staggering amount of 40 megawws is the equivalent of 20 maybe 30 thou depending on your appliances 20 or 30,000 single family homes. There are only 20,000 homes in all of Amodore County. We're talking about one facility that uses all the p uses as much power as all the residents of Amodore County in one building. Right? It's as much power is being used by if someone proposed a uh a new UC fac you know a new UC UC San Diego UC Berkeley UC Jackson would be about a would use about 40 megawatts of power right all told like this is not tiny or minor or bespoke um the on the issue of tribal sovereignty and the possibility of the facility being uh uh welcomed onto sovereign tribal land I think that's very much um disputable. It's there's no ann uh I don't think there's any announced intent by any of the local tribes to do so. Um I think it's very very much would be a contested item at the tribal government level. Uh we've seen other we you know there Cherokee Nation has banned data centers. Uh Seol Nation in Oklahoma has a moratorum. Uh there's and and certainly our reaction to the possibility shouldn't be to rush ahead or forego regulation. Um the fact that um local sovereign tribes can build casinos doesn't mean that Aodor County has like opened the door to card rooms or other gambling establishments, waved all regulations for those things. just because it is possible for casinos to be located in the county on Sanford tribal land. It's I don't think it's a a valid excuse for us to sort of forego um necessary review and regulation of this

Multiple speakers — Craig Baracco / Supervisor Jeff Brown: uh type of land use. Just I'm just saying it's out there. I never talked to any tribal members. I just wanted to make sure we had

Craig Baracco — Foothill Conservancy: but just the possibility alone doesn't mean that we can't uh we shouldn't be able to um address the concerns and needs of our community just because there's an outside possibility that you know those regulations could be avoided.

Multiple speakers — Craig Baracco / Supervisor Jeff Brown: Um I think that is an entirely but you agree that there there could be it could be avoided completely.

Craig Baracco — Foothill Conservancy: I think it would be very contested. I mean the um casinos on tribal land are it is not just that there there are no law they're not lawless zones that allow anything like casinos are allowed under a regime of state and federal law. There's compacts there at both the federal and state level if um and this is entirely new territory we're talking about here. So I would uh I very much an open question as to whether or not um local tribes can host data centers or state and federal law. So um I wouldn't presume that that's actually um something that's uh necessarily uh a given. So but uh and just as and just as just to finish up the what's being proposed here is is is not radical. It's not um outside the norms. Calaveris County has already passed 45day moratorum. In fact, right now, I think right about now, they are voting to ex uh voting on whether to extend that for for an initial period of time. Um that was initiated by their own planning department. Um requested that BA u basically on the basic concern that data centers are of great concern and there is not much in the way of regulation in in our zoning codes to address them. Um, I think we have a with what's specifically announced for Aminar County, the fact that it's tied to a power plant allow will allow for discretionary approval of of the expansion of the plant and the addition of AI. But if say a new project comes along and wants to uh be located in say the industrial area outside of Ion uh uh industrial zoned property outside of Ion or Grass Valley uh or not Grass Valley Springs um then there's really not not much on the books that would make it a discretionary approval that it could just proceed as a light industrial use on light industrials owned property and we wouldn't get a a say in things like power usage, water usage, impacts on safety and the like. So, um I think the best course of action is to enact a moratorum, buy us some time, buy us some breathing room and allow uh county staff working with the community to develop specific regulations for large scale II data centers and to address the all the various concerns that have already been expressed. Um once those are on the books then we can proceed you know then applicants can proceed with their applications they can go through the full public approval process we can address the concerns and fears that we have. Thank you for your time

Multiple speakers — Board member (identity unverified) / Craig Baracco: Greg just for clarity your group on one-year moratorum. Um yeah, there's uh there's a bit of

Craig Baracco — Foothill Conservancy: technical issues in this. Um under the under the code being cited under an urgency ordinance, the initial time period is 45 days. Um and then there are extensions that can be given up to actually two years, but we feel that at least a year uh basically at least a year is necessary in order to do the work, receive the public input, um do the research. So, we're calling for a minimum time of at least one year u knowing that the that the process is actually a couple of it would require a couple of extensions to legally uh do that.

Chairman Patrick Crew: Okay. Thank you. Thank you. Good morning.

Carrie Williams: Good morning, supervisors. I was being polite back there, letting more people to come up before me. Um my name is Carrie Williams. Um, I am a 20-year resident of uh, Amodore County in Fiddletown. Good morning, Supervisor Ono. First of all, this morning I'm here primarily to support the U proposed a moratorum 45 days um with uh consideration of the extensions. Um right now um I have some um still has some very unanswered questions. Um but I am aware of it as I understand moritarian moratoriums can among other things positive permit and evaluate environmental and resource impacts. Um I would not would like to know if if there is a current or a proposed environmental impact report and will it be available to the public just when how soon that would be? Um, is there a what is the current status of this project right now? What is the billion dollar question? I'll take it. Um, but I am hopeful that a moratorum at least at 45 days can answer some of those questions. I have been following however the Calaveris moratorum and lots of issues have come to light to me that hopefully will be addressed in regards to this project specifically. First, what are the impacts on local energy and water resources? What are the benefits if any especially for new job jobs creation land use issues such as what is the size of the proposed project? Is there expansion in the future? Where will wastewater be treated? How much pollution will be treated? Will the company make commitments to reduce climate and rate rate payer costs? Will the county demand requirements that can mitigate the most egregious harms from data centers? Three of the biggest harms from irresponsibly developed data centers um are threats to energy affordability, grid reliability, public and health and climate goals, and raising utility bills. However, I know what we can do here in the county. What we can do to prot protect our county from irresponsible developers now and in the future is to one support protective zoning ordinances and policies. Restrict sightings. Keep projects to specific zones. Require emergency preparedness plans. require environmental impact assessments and public benefit agreements prior to issuing permits and construction. Ensuring public hearings and trans and above all transparency above all require more local involvement and for residents near in a far to have a say in the location, energy source and operating impacts of the development. As I look at this project today, I see an unstable development putting us and our environment at risk. If we cannot be ensured that this development does not come at the cost of clean air, water, affordable energy bills, and a livable environment, if no insurance, then we simply do not want it here. Thank you.

Chairman Patrick Crew: Thank you. Anyone else? Oh. Good morning.

Shelley Freeman: Good morning, supervisors. Bear with me one second. My name is Shelley Freeman. I raised my children here. I served on a city appointed committee that got rid of the parking meters in Jackson. I wrote the city sign ordinance. I fought the school district and won the diabetes care the children in our schools actually needed. I never thought that I'd be standing here before you today in regards to a data center in Amar County. This is a 41 megawatt AI project on Coalmine Road. That is not a small shop. That is an industrial plant feeding machines that never clock out. They will talk about schools and investments. Ask the only hometown question that counts. Where are the jobs? After the concrete is poured, construction ends. An AI hall does not hire like a mill, a ranch, or a shop. The servers do not raise families in Ion. A tax line is not a payroll. Do not sell this county a machine farm and call it work. If a supervisor ju in this room just excuse me if a supervisor just told this room that if we fight it here that the casino can take the dentist data center onto their land. Repeat that into the microphone. That is not leadership. That is a threat dressed as a warning. This plant is on county land. It needs a county EIR. Neighboring trust land does not erase trucks, smoke, water, or noise. And it does not let this board skip the study. If the point was to scare people quiet, it failed. Put this sentence in the minutes. And while we are on the record, remember how this site has been handled before. Supervisor Anto recused himself in 2011 on the Buenav Vista biomass permit because family land sits next to that plant. He also had to recuse on the casino agreements because of the property near those projects. Recruusal is a law. It is not a substitute for a vote. It means that the rest of you will have to protect this county and you do not get to hide behind a chair that cannot vote. That seat changes in January. Do not ram a 41 megawatt project through a recusal and a lame duck calendar. The people who will live with the trucks and the stack will still be here. When that gavel changes hands, so will the duty. I'm not here with this slogan. I am here because this county raised the people with a backbone. My kids grew up here. My son serves this country. My daughter and her husband farm rice that feeds this country. They left here. They left a small place with morals that you cannot download. That happened because this is a still community, quiet enough and known enough that a child learns what a neighbor is. A 41 megawatt AI center does not make that kind of a person. It makes heat and traffic and a night that never goes dark. Closed loop is not zero. Biomass is not invisible. 40 trucks a day is no is not no impact. No permit and no EIR is not already decided. Do not buy this valley with a school check. Do not bully it with a casino land. Do not be do not hide behind a recusal. Do not trade a county that builds citizens for a plant that builds compute. Finish the study in public. Put the permanent jobs on one page. If the jobs are not there and the impacts are the answer is no. And I have to add that my daughter worked at the casino at the rancheria after she graduated while she went to college. The casino has benefited our our county has benefited greatly from the casinos that are here.

Multiple speakers — Shelley Freeman / Chairman Patrick Crew: The the area center has nothing to offer our community. Thank you. Right.

Chairman Patrick Crew: We have a zoomer or some zoomers. Let's give them a chance. We're going to do zoomers. We got a couple callins. Zoomers. Okay. I'll sign in and I'll wait. Okay. Thank you.

Multiple speakers — Chairman Patrick Crew / Russ Parker: Go ahead, caller. Is that to me? Yes.

Russ Parker — first Zoom caller: Yes. Okay. Uh, so a lot of lot has already been said that I won't go over, but the one thing that hasn't really been talked about is they New York GreenCloud, you know, hasn't really put forward project plans or things like that to community or to the board of supervisors. And one might say, "Oh, well, they're still in the planning phase. They don't have the detail." But going back, they were putting out information to investors and to industry groups and things like that all the way back could be earlier than this, but in January 19th of 2026, they were already putting out announcements talking about detailing what type of systems they were going to be putting in, you know, the number of GPUs, the types of processors. I mean, a a a lot of detail. um you know you know cost estimates that they were planning on doing with the investment you know and saying that they were outlining full-scale development and going online in February uh well obviously the 26 this is wrong but they they're talking like this is already done and and ready to go and they're you know moving fully forward in terms of how they're speaking to industry groups and to investors And that seems disingenuous to then say that they aren't seeing any of those sorts of plan development plans in front of the community or or or the board of supervisors. It seems to me this sort of thing shouldn't first come to the county's like attention in terms of the details with a permit application. So apart from any of the other things, it seems like the moratorum that's being asked for is a really good idea just to tell them, hey, keep us informed. If you if if you have plans to the point where you are, you know, listing out the specific computer systems and GPUs and what the the power facility is going to look like and are moving along on all of that, why not be keeping things informed? And if you're making projections on when you're going to come online and you haven't even filed for SQA, you haven't even filed for permits, you haven't done anything like that, it certainly seems like Perhaps they aren't being disingenuous with us, but they seem to be being disingenuous with their investors and that seems concerning. You know, I don't know that we can the group does not seem particularly trustworthy. That's all.

Chairman Patrick Crew: All right. Now, you've been waiting patiently. Go ahead.

Jan Fritz: My name is Jan Fritz and I moved up here in 1983 from San Diego to get away from the rat race. I can remember when my husband and I pulled into Jackson in the evening and I got out of the truck and I smelled the air and it was so freaking sweet. I was out of the pollution and the rat race and I couldn't even see the county. I couldn't see anything because it was dark. And I told him, I said, "I want to live here." And it took us a year to get up here. And we got here in ' 83 in July on my birthday. I have horses. I have chickens. I raised a daughter up here. And when I moved up here, the only stoplight was at sunrise. Then the fast food came in and it turned to crap. Look at the stop signs, the stop lightss, the the people, the cars, the fast money that everybody wants to make on this county. I can remember when before the bypass, I had to take 49 all the way into Jackson and I'd get behind a rancher in a truck and he'd have bailing twine coming off of it and it's 20 miles an hour and you know, it was awesome. It was because I came from a rat race and now we're fighting the rat race and I can't afford to move. I'm 78 years old. I can't pick up my crap and go somewhere. I've got dogs and horses and I've been in the same house the whole time I've been here and I love my house, but I'm surrounded to get out on my horse. Now I have to go to Comanche. I have to load up and haul. And I have one question. If this was going in your backyard or your grandkids backyard, would you approve it? And if you can say yes, build a sucker. But if you don't want it in your backyard, I know people in Plymouth that live by the casino. The lights and the music on the weekends is deafening. They told me you could walk over to the casino, walk in the casino, and it's quieter in the casino because we have no traffic up here basically, no freeways with the of all the cars and the sound echoes. I can hear my neighbor yelling at their dog and they're a half mile away. So, I'm always going, "Do you hear me yell at my dogs?" No, I don't hear you, but there's times I hear all my neighbors. Somebody shoots a coyote, I can hear it a mile away. I love it. I live 2 and a half miles from Highway 16. And when I go on my back porch on the patio at night, I can hear the traffic on 16. That's two and a half miles away. That's sweet. You know, I don't like it, but it's still sweet. It's better than living in San Diego. Please don't screw up our county anymore than it already is. It's sad. You don't know. Unless you've lived where I've lived in this city where you have animals and you get run out cuz you have four dogs. You can only have two, you know, until you've lived that. Don't screw up this county anymore. And it already is.

Multiple speakers — Jan Fritz / Chairman Patrick Crew: Thanks for your time. Please consider Okay, we have another Zoomer.

Chairman Patrick Crew: Looks like she went away. Okay, any other comments, public? Is she back? No. Oh, welcome.

Diana — last name not captured: So, hello. Um, my name is Diana and shine the form too. And my my child lives right along the creek that runs in Bueno Vista and he and I took a hike on that creek and it's filled with life. The first thing we seen was an otter. Right. go down the hill. There was an otter. We hiked down a little ways longer. We see a beaver den that a beaver is trying to make for the winter. Then we walk down a little bit further and there were at least 30 to 40 white butterflies flying all around this one area where these certain plants are dwelling down there. We went down further and there was evidence of the owls being there. There was hawks in the sky. There is so much wildlife going on in that creek. In just the small mile or two miles that we went down, we were able to witness all that wildlife in that natural water. And if it wasn't for them being other habitats down there for those animals to survive off of, then they wouldn't be there. And I have traveled on these rivers my whole life and I've never seen a group of butterflies like I did there. There's mountain lion there. There's bear. I mean, that's what matters. It's not about how much money onto can make. They've made money all their lives by doing things that are not good for our community, including the powerhouse. I mean, we need to take a stand and and understand what is important. And what is important is in our our environment, our natural environment. And without it, we're not going to survive. And I don't want my child or my grandchild raised in an area where I have to say, "Oh, look at what's over here." And it's a building that's making data so we can use our phones. I'd much rather take a hike with my grandchildren and say, "Look at it's right here for us to enjoy." And we're not gonna have that opportunity if we allow the status center to go into place here in Emerald County. Sorry to say, but it's proven in other areas that it is not a good deal for anything having to do with the environment.

Multiple speakers — Diana / Chairman Patrick Crew / Supervisor Brian Oneto: And I I ask that you would hear my words. Would you please sign in? Sign in. Yes. U Mr. Chairman.

Supervisor Brian Oneto: Yes. I'd like to make a short comment. I take offense at what the young lady said as far as Onidto's been doing bad things. I think it was her entire life to make money. You know, the one lady moved out of San Diego to get away from the rat race. I don't blame her. One of the cars I may hear from my home near Highway 16 might be hers. But I understand people want a better life. I support that. The farmer with the twine is pickup. That very well could have been my dad or one of my relatives. Though Netos have been ranching, farming for over 160 years. A lot of the open space we enjoy comes from those farm families. The farm families probably could have made a lot of money over the years if they' subdivided their ground. They sold the ground off. They didn't. They liked the land. As a kid, I was embarrassed by my dad. He He had a hat with natural air conditioning. The top that would flap up and down where it was broken, and that was his air conditioning. It was very embarrassing for a kid. The point I'm making, he was very conservative, very frugal. I think the only time he's on an airplane was when they send the World War II. He took a he took a slow boat back. He never went anywhere. He took care of his land. He took care of his cattle. Um my mom and my brothers and I used to joke if it came down the cattle or us, we're going to be running because dad sure loved his cattle. So, I take some offense for lady throwing a cheap shot saying we do things for money, bad things. We've done a lot of good things this county. Um, I think she got way off off the off the question. I understand the question. You're looking at data centers. You're looking at what happens to the county. Um, I think conversation is great, but I don't appreciate personal attacks. I think it's very unnecessary and quite wrong.

Chairman Patrick Crew: Thank you, Supervisor O'Neal. We have another Zoomer. I see a yellow hand. This is a repeat. Oh, no. We will. Yes. Please come forward. Give everybody a chance once before we go to repeaters. Good morning.

Elida Malik: Good morning. My name is Elida Malik. I live in Fiddletown. And um I do want to support the idea of a moratorum. I think a pause in the frenzy of all that's going on with the AI data centers is appropriate. Um especially when we have uh China recently reporting the immense water problems that they're having as far as pollution goes with the data centers there in their country. We even have the leaders of AI coming on board and saying, "Hey, wait a minute. Pump the brakes on what's going on here." Maybe that's a red flag, maybe not. But if they're saying, uh, we need to slow down, it seems like an appropriate thing to be doing. Um, but what I wanted to mention, this has nothing to do with the physical impacts, but, um, data centers sound like they're producing data for our use. Where is what is that data? That data is the mining of our intellectual property. It's the mining of the knowledge that we all create that we all produce and we get nothing out of that. We are not paid for that. We are not reimbursed for that. So in addition to that, these are also used for surveillance. So my my point being that is that really the type of business that we want to be promoting here in Amadore County, a business that will only hire people for a short period of time until the situation is built and established and then this unit is in place to take advantage of the American people, the people of our community to mine what we produce with our labor and our intellect for their use with no compensation. So that doesn't have a lot to do with the physical impacts, but it's just something to think about. We're promoting this type of business in our community, which will also be used to surveil us, which is what data centers really are. But I do just want to add another voice in support of the moratorum which is certainly just in place to give us time

Multiple speakers — Elida Malik / Chairman Patrick Crew: to think about what we're actually doing. Thank you. Anyone else?

Chairman Patrick Crew: We have one board rocketto.

Rex Onetto: I'm president of Monetto Group, which owns the 350 plus acres that surround the plant. The casino is our nearest neighbor. Um, I hear people talking about some of this. I'd like to know what geographic they all they all use the vague term. They live in Amodore County. I'd like to know about how what their pro it'd be interested to see what their proximity to the plant is because there's not that many people live that close. And listen to all this stuff that I've heard of all the board meetings I've been to. This is the biggest Trojan horse I've ever seen. They're all using these little buzzwords, a temporary, a moratorum. But then if you listen to what they say, all the stuff they want done, I don't think you can do in 10 years. We could blast that plant to the moon and goldplate it, bring it back, and it wouldn't quite be good enough. Just like when the fishing game put a temporary moratorium on dredging the creeks. I think it's what, five or 10 years that it took him to do the study. I don't know if they've ever done it yet. These people are asking for a permanent ban. And as Pat Brown said, I'll make it a little clearer to them. We're paying industrial tax rate in that property. When that plant sat for 10 years, we paid industrial tax rates of about 20,000 a year. I didn't see anybody concerned about that. And as Pat said, Jeff, if that if that or Jeff, I'm sorry. I'll get it one. Pat Brown was the governor. Yes. I don't want to get him mixed up. Um as the uh do you think we're going to if that if this plant and the plant and the AI center is two different deals. The plant is already permitted. It has its water contracts, JVID. These people have not studied what they're talking about. I heard him talk about where are they getting the water? Where is it getting the power? That's why they bought the power plant is to have their own power to supply the data center. And now here talk about backup generators and batteries. Well, case in point, our hospital has them. I think this county building has backup generators. I think the casinos have backup generators. I'll make you a bet a lot of these people have backup generators for their house because nothing is 100%. So you think we're going to sit there and keep paying industrial tax rate on that property if it doesn't go? We can sell out to somebody that's right across the road and that tax base will be gone and there's nothing you can do to control what the Indians do. So people ought to listen to what Jeff told them. Thank you.

Chairman Patrick Crew: Any other Oh, come ahead. I thought she was coming up.

Trace Ranken — spelling as transcribed: Um, morning. Good morning. My name's uh Trace Ranken. Let me get signed in here. Yeah, I'm Amador County resident and like everybody else said and I I do want want to thank your family for their contributions to the county. Uh, but they aren't the only ones who built the county. They're immigrants, Chinese, all kinds of other people. And I believe historically the town was founded by a French immigrant if I'm not mistaken. Um, I want to be clear. Um, I think you said that you hadn't met with any of the tribal No, I have not. I'm not sure of the plant. Yes. Okay. Well, how come you haven't met with any of the tribal people? I'm not on the tribal committee. Okay. Well, somebody should. I think I agree. Um, I spent uh 40 40ome years in well drilling business. I dedicated a finger to it. And uh uh hazardous waste uh municipal air agricultural wells, hazardous waste, uh extraction wells out at Air Force bases, Aerogjet, and all kinds of places. I'm pretty sure you guys have noticed over the years, last decade or more, we don't have the water coming down or the snow pack coming down. And we have less water coming into this area. And this place has a contract, I think somebody said, with Jackson Valley Irrigation District. Okay. Well, where does where do they get their water? Do they have wells? No, I mean Jackson Valley gets their water from the uh the snowfall. Lake Amador or Yeah. No ground water pump. No ground water pumping at all because I I I do live I do do live out near that area. Um I live out in an area when I moved out here. Supervisor referred to us as no man's land. Does that ring a bell with any of you guys? You know where no man's land is? Huh? No. You never heard that term by one of your uh guys used to sit up on here. It's Stony Creek Road and and that that was referred to by my supervisor as no man's land. And it's still like that cuz there doesn't ever seem to be anything beneficial happening out my road. I mean, uh, the county gets a couple guys out there with some hot or cold patch, drives down the road, and throws a sho couple shovel loads in the holes, and that's it. Um, it's pretty I'm not going to use the derogatory term for it, but it's uh it's a lousy road. I don't know last time any of you guys drove it. It's uh been a while. Been a while. Okay. I had uh a head-on collision with a kid driving, no insurance, and came around a corner and totaled my my F250. He was driving a Mitsubishi Spider and he hit my F250 and total my truck out because of the way the roads are. You go around this one turn, you get up by Simmons place and there's a little bump there and if you're driving a pickup, your ass in bounces over into the other lane. There's been no um road improvements out where I live. None. I've lived out there over 40 years. And um what is this AI center going to contribute to that? Is this closed loop system going to always remain closed or is there language in there for expansion uh for more water usage? You know, that's the kind of stuff we need to know. I need to know because as a crow flies, I live like less than five miles from that place. And granted, my water out of my well is drove by brisky back in ' 82. And I've only had to replace one pump in all that time. Most of my water is going to be coming from pressure out of party. where I live, uh, your water basics are different than what it is down there, uh, down around Buenav Vista. That's all luial fill. That's where all your water's coming out of up where I live is coming out of fractures in the rock. But like I said, my well's over 40ome years old. It's an open bottom well. And if They're going to be using more water. Yeah, I know everybody hates to hear that old water, water, water, water water, but uh it's a lessening I mean good water, I mean you can have water coming out of a sewage treatment plant. But I mean water that we use and live on is getting less and less. I think you probably paid attention to that. Uh, our snow pack. I used to have to I had to quit doing it in I think in the mid 90s. I'd have to go out and break the ice in the water trough for my horses because the ice would freeze that thick, you know, not that's what 20ome years ago. 20 25. But around mid 90s, it didn't have to do that anymore. Didn't have to break the ice in there because there was no more ice in there because it wasn't freezing. It wasn't cold anymore. Things are changing around up there. And I mean, just need more information. You can't make a decision unless you have a lot more information. And I think that's just what everybody here is asking for be before you say, excuse me, before you say go ahead, go out there and start digging. I I spent a lot of years in the construction field, you know, like I showed you, um, just make sure everybody in the county and and I feel it's something that PE voters of the county should be voting on to be honest with you. But, uh, I think everybody in the county should know exactly what is going out there. Um, if there's going to be, uh, loopholes for more expansion, you know, that's something you got to look at cuz, uh, you know, there could be slide of van stuff going on out there.

Multiple speakers — Trace Ranken / Chairman Patrick Crew: Um, anyways, thank you for your time. Thank you. Thank you, Drew. I see we have quite a few Zoomers, huh?

Chairman Patrick Crew: Yes, we do. Let's try to get those cleared up here. Katherine was on earlier. So, uh Mr. PCamp, go ahead and then we'll get to Katherine.

Mike PCamp — spelling unverified: Hi, this is Mike PCamp. Um, as far as clearing up the nearby living, uh, we live just under three or twothirds of a mile from the plant. So, um, that's that's close. I think we're not actually on the property, but we can see it from our living room couch uh, and our master bedroom bed um, and our front porch. Uh, so yeah, close affected. Um, I've only got three generations of family in county. Um, so I guess that doesn't put me in a place where I have roads named after us, but um, I I can only speak for myself and I can only take credit for myself. I can't take credit for any of the other people in my family. Um, although they're wonderful. Um, I'm asking that we put a moratorum on this to find information. It's It's not about ending this project. It's about getting clear information for all the people in the community. Um, we don't have any official information. The county does hasn't given hardly anything that they've gotten. I'm not saying they're hiding anything. I'm saying they haven't gotten anything yet. So, that that really inspires putting a pause on things. Um, and that's what I'd like to see here. Thanks. That's all I got to say.

Chairman Patrick Crew: All right. Thank you, Mike. All right, go ahead, Miss Evette.

Katherine Evette — spelling unverified: Hi, this is Katherine Evette. I live in Volcano. Um, and I've only lived in the county for 49 of my nearly 70 years, so I don't seem to count as much as some folks, but I've been around. I served on the county citizen advisory committee for the new general plan. I can say with a fair degree of certainty that our current general plan is inadequate to address an issue like this and I would support a moratorum. A moratorium is only temporary. It gives people time to study potential impacts and develop proper regulations for data centers. I also want to add that um it's kind of important to note that the biomass plant could operate without the data center. The biomass plant could feed power into the grid and there's legislation and I don't know if it's been signed yet that would in fact give some credits to biomass plants in Amador County that feed power to utilities, not to industrial facilities. And I'm sorry I don't have the bill in in my head. A couple of things about water. The water for the Jackson Valley Irrigation District comes primarily from Lake Amidor which is drainage from the Jackson Creek wershed and they also get um McCully water pumped out of Par. None of their water comes from Comanche Comanche. So um but they have a limited amount of water and in dry years they actually go to a water agency to try to buy more water. They generally cannot afford to do that. One other thing about the applicant I've been following this since it became common knowledge and the applicant story keeps changing. First it's one size then it's another size. Now they have a Facebook group called Project Buista where they are persistently ignoring valid questions from county residents including me. So I think that that's problematic. I mean if people come to you with a clear proposal and it doesn't change and you have something to evaluate that's one thing but you know this this thing seems to change on you know about every other week. So I think a prudent thing for Amadar County to do is to enact an urgency ordinance and begin the process of developing proper regulations for data centers which is being done all over the country. Uh just a small personal note my mother grew up in Mount Airy, North Carolina which is you know commonly known from the Andy Griffith show as Mayberry USA. It's a very red little town and it's a little mountain town that like Amador County lost its primary industries and has had to rebuild its largely tourism. They're constantly seeking other sources of economic development. They now have a two-year moratorum on data centers and old mount area, North Carolina in Suriri County. And this is being done all over the country for good reason. And that is because people are very concerned about the impacts of data centers on the environment, on the communities, and on the places we all live. Thank you.

Chairman Patrick Crew: Thank you, Catherine. Couple more. Go ahead, Miss Poppin.

Ann Poppin — spelling unverified: Thank you. Uh, good morning, Board of Supervisors. Ann Poppin. I live on Jackson Valley Road and have been an Inodor County resident for over 20 years. Thank you for the opportunity to speak today. I support a lot of what has been said and I support a moratorum because Amodore County's general plan that the last caller was spot on um is not sophisticated enough to have the protection in places to support all of us. And when I say all of us, that includes the businesses, that includes the rural residents, and that includes our scenic way of life. Ordinances take time. The ordinances we need in place to protect everyone include noise pollution, light pollution. Remember, the Foothill Conservancy sued Amodore County for our general plan in 2018. And it wasn't until 2020 that that plan had gone through so many iterations and failed because we wanted to make sure that existing businesses didn't have to replace their current light fixtures that no new businesses could put would allow light to pollute off of their premises. Ordinances take time. Putting a moratorium in place would allow us to take time to do that and put ordinances in places to protect surrounding properties. Groundwater and those people that rely on groundwater wells in our area need some assurances because we don't have the information as other folks have said today. Where is their initial a closed loop system still needs an initial fill of water. Where's that coming from? What's the anticipated maintenance timeline to dump water and then recharge it? How about mechanical failures? That too requires some discharge of water and to be refilled again. And any expansion also needs to be covered properly and transparently stated as to how that's going to be handled as well as emergency coverage for when things go bad. Look at what happened in Monteray. We need time to go through and make sure it is fair for all, not just for one side. and ordinances take time. Always support this moratorum and thank you for allowing me to speak today.

Chairman Patrick Crew: All right. Thank you. Go ahead, Mr. Church.

Joe Church — New York GreenCloud: Good morning. Thank you for taking the time here. My name is Joe Church, founder, CEO of New York GreenCloud. Do want to clear up a number that's come up a couple times today, the 41 megawatt figure that was talked about early on and a range of possibilities for the site was being discussed publicly. That's ahead of where the project is actually today. What New York Cloud is planning to seek approval for a 16 megawatt data center powered by existing biomass facility. Environmental and engineering reviews are underway and a permit application forthcoming will address these questions in greater detail. Um we as a group understand the residents have real questions about data centers and the future of the site. So we respect your right to bring the questions to the board. We do intend to participate transparently and provide verified information as this moves through the cash process. So, we're here primarily to listen today. Thank you. All right. Thank you.

Chairman Patrick Crew: We're one more then we'll see if there's any more public comment here. Hey, Mr. Parker.

Russ Parker: Yeah, I I didn't digitally sign in when I gave my comments earlier as the first first Zoomer. So, just saying my name is Russ Parker to put that in the record.

Chairman Patrick Crew: Okay, thank you. Any more public comment? Anything from the board? Any comments?

Board member — identity unverified: Seeing actually I would like to say something. Um, as in a lot of the conspiracy theories go along, um, I have not received any money from New York Greencloud or any of their affiliates, and I've never signed a non-disclosure act except when I was in the Air Force for Cheyenne Mountain. For some reason, nuclear and non-disclosure was something that was very high on there.

Rex Onetto: Rex Onetto again. um like to clarify a point that a lot of people I don't think are understand. The plant is permitted. It's no backdoor deal, non-disclosures. I haven't even signed one. But the information about the data center is just a heads up of what's coming. When it comes, they will pull permits, which they have to. It's no backdoor deal, slide of the hand. This is just a heads up. This is what's coming. They're I think the intended purpose I don't want to be speaking out of place is basically run the plant for about a year to to determine reliability as you rebuild something there's always little gremlins that pop up and they want to make sure that the those are gone and then at that point they'd be pulling the permits for the data center. So the data center is just a heads up at this point. Thank you. All right.

Chairman Patrick Crew: Okay. We've got the Zoomer's handle. We've got the public comment handle. We will move.

Multiple speakers — Chairman Patrick Crew / Jackie Vaughn: I think we've beat this horse about all we Jackievon just you know just one more thing. Um

Jackie Vaughn: the reason for the mortorium is because there is so much stuff out there flying back and forth on social media and everywhere. We really don't know what these data centers do and and that's to me this is the time to look at it before we approve something. Uh this is something we can put into the general plan. This is something we can update. So that's why the request for the moratorum. It's not to stop it. It's to look at it with a fine tooth comb and see is this really what we want here? And if it is, if there's benefits, let's let's Let's make it clear what we do want and what we don't when it gets put out there. Um, I've read a lot. I've seen so much stuff out there and I I agree. There's there's there's lies, conspiracy theories, this and that. I'm an information nut and I like to look at things and find out, you know, what's real. Um, I have a a contact with NPR in Louisiana. The I don't know if you heard about it, the Holly Ridge uh data center that went up and NPR is putting out monitors on people's homes. That data is being collected as we speak. That data is going to Louisiana University to be disseminated to find out exactly what effects these data centers have. That's interesting to look at. There's stuff out there that is interesting to look at. So I'm asking the board for the moratorum to look at this with a fine tooth comb and see is it something we want and if it does come if we get the permits and everything great. Let's let's find out what it really is. That's it. Thank you. All right.

Chairman Patrick Crew: Appreciate it.

Multiple speakers — Rex Onetto / Chairman Patrick Crew: As a rebuttal to that, I know you guys want to get out of here. One, I'll give you one minute. Why you don't need a moratorum is because you have a permitting process that's exhaustive.

Rex Onetto: When you go through that permitting process, you guys will know everything is that's that's about this project. A moratorium, all it seeks to do is deprive the project from having the opportunity to go through that project process. It's not fair. You don't need a moratorum.

Multiple speakers — Chairman Patrick Crew / Jamie Lubenko: All right. Well, to finish up on a first Oh. Good morning. It's still morning, right? Well, no. Tomorrow morning.

Jamie Lubenko — District 5 Supervisor-elect: Uh, chairman, crew, members of the board, I am Jamie Leeno, District 5 Supervisor Elect. I don't think it matters too much how long someone's been here. I try not to put too much weight in that. But I was probably born where I'm standing as this was the hospital. And I don't want to tell you how many years ago that was public. Um I believe that the project has a right to um expect a fair review of their project and I think the community also has a right to know that the review process is fair to the community. And so I kind of hear both of those things here today. And I think both of those things are true. Um I don't know if the project has given you any kind of indication on when they expect to send in this permit application but it is concerning um that in district 5 we believe that u Mr. Onetto will have to recuse himself from a decision on this project and it's a big project and it has a a large impact on our community and so I think that's also a fair concern. Um, I think historically, uh, Supervisor Onetto has recused himself from anything to do with the biomass plant or that property. So, one would assume that would happen again. Again, I don't know if we have any indication on when this application might come through. Um, but personally, I would hope that our district come January has an opportunity to have a vote on it as well. Thank you.

Board member — identity unverified: Yeah, it's not like Joe said, one year at least minimum.

Chairman Patrick Crew — reading Stephen Brown email: All right. I had a fellow named Steve Brown ask me to he sent a letter to me yesterday by email and wanted me to read it into the record today because he couldn't be here. Was to the chairman. I am writing to let you know that a group of citizens plan to attend the board of supervisors meeting tomorrow during open comment. There will be a push by the for the board to enact a countywide moratorium against data centers as a direct response to New York Greencloud's proposed AI computer center at the old way a Vista co-generation power plant. Please be aware this is not the opinion of everyone in Amir County and certainly not in your district. I can see both the casino and the power plant from my kitchen, dining room and backyard and I am strongly for the project. It would be a great use of the site and add needed employment to the county. The suggested complaints regarding traffic and water use are not realistic in comparison to the casino across the street and the offging will be quite nominal compared to the old cogen plant power plants operation which by the way I found quite tolerable. Finally, for the NED byproducts to be charcoal and bofu bio oil is quite remarkable. While I cannot attend tomorrow's meeting or today's meeting, I have authorized you to print this email and read it into the public comments on my behalf. Stephen Brown and I own and I have uh I wasn't born here because this

Chairman Patrick Crew: hospital wasn't here. I had to go to Stockton for just for reference. And I have dealt with the Onettos fathers and uncles of all of them and all my business life and I found it to be very reputable. A little tight but very reputable fell. So with that we'll move on to the time for the public.

Multiple board members — identities not fully verified: Yeah. Public hearing. Yeah. Can we uh we need to take a break. Let's charge on to number one so we can Yeah. get Derek out before he gets to 40 years and we'll set off the public hearing after the break.

Chairman Patrick Crew: All right. Thank you all for your comments. Thank you. A lot of money.