STORY AND PHOTO BY KAREN BOSSICK

Learn about data centers and their implications for Idaho Monday night when Idaho Conservation League’s Josh Johnson present s“The Dark Side of Data Centers.”

Johnson, who works out of ICL’s Ketchum office, will discuss the environmental implications of data centers for Idaho at a free presentation at 6 p.m. Monday, April 27, at The Liberty Theatre in Hailey.

Johnson, ICL’s Central Idaho Director, will discuss the significant energy and water usage of such facilities and the implications going forward as more data centers spring up across the state to accommodate AI, cloud computing and digital services.

There are concerns about costs being shifted to ratepayers and taxpayers when governments provide significant tax incentives without delivering substantial long-term job creation, according to ICL.

Multiple bills were introduced during the 2026 legislative sessions addressing data center tax exemptions, water use and electricity rates. Some passed; some didn’t. Meanwhile, voters in one town in Wisconsin recently approved the nation’s first local referendum limiting public subsidies for data centers.