The Sunriser | Data center boom vs. Colorado’s climate goals

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Good morning and happy first Monday of spring, which most of you reading this will fittingly spend under a winter weather advisory.

Since you don’t want to be out in all that right now, let’s just jump right into the news, shall we?

THE NEWS

ENERGY

Data centers are proliferating. So are concerns about their effects on Colorado’s environment.

From generating bizarre images (and never quite getting fingers right) to running complex industrial algorithms, the rising usage of large language models (like ChatGPT) and faster cloud storage are creating a parallel demand for big, powerful data centers. But as the state scrambles to reach its ambitious climate goals, Mark Jaffe writes, regulators wonder just how much incentive the energy hungry data centers actually need to build in Colorado.

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ENVIRONMENT

Asphalt, gravel demand is rising as residents near Colorado mines push back against expansion

To fix some of Colorado’s biggest problems — a shortage of housing units and deteriorating roads — we’re going to need a lot of asphalt and gravel. But as the mines that produce the necessary materials look to expand, they’re meeting more — and more organized — resistance from neighbors who say water and air quality must be considered before more extraction can be added. Jason Blevins has more on the growing conflict.

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• Lottery proceeds to fund $68.9 million for outdoor park, trail projects across Colorado. Among the list of spring gifts to Coloradans from Great Outdoors Colorado are cantilever bridges over Clear Creek Canyon that will help complete a trail connecting Denver to Loveland Pass. Michael Booth has the whole list, plus an explanation of how lottery funding works.

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HOUSING

Should Steamboat build 2,264 homes for 6,000 workers? Voters get a say Tuesday.

West of Steamboat Springs, 420 acres of the former Brown Ranch could be annexed by the city to build 2,264 affordable homes. That is, if voters approve the plan. Jason Blevins digs into why there is opposition to neighborhood plan, which kicked off with an anonymous $24 million donation.

READ MORE, PODCAST CONVERSATION

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EDUCATION

As most high schoolers head home for the day, these Colorado Springs students are just starting class

For two years, Harrison School District 2 in Colorado Springs has been offering a night school for students who are working or taking care of family during the day. And as Erica Breunlin reports, the flexibility required of staff and students is tough, but is slowly making a difference in the high poverty district.

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ECONOMY

Tourism is a major driver of the Colorado economy. But it’s not all organic.

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Tourism creates more jobs faster than any other industry in Colorado. And it didn’t get that way on its own. In this week’s edition of “What’s Working” Tracy Ross and Tamara Chuang look at how the Colorado Tourism Office has been shaping this rise in tourism — and how stewardship has become a driving force in their plans.

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MORE NEWS

• Colorado lawmakers are finalizing a state budget plan that boosts K-12, higher education and health care. Facing a $170 million shortfall at the start of last week, lawmakers on the Joint Budget Committee slashed spending and dipped heavily into various state cash funds to balance the budget. Brian Eason has more.
• Climate change could be a deciding factor in 2024 election, CU analysis finds. In this piece from The Conversation, researchers found that despite fewer than 5% of Gallup survey respondents saying that climate change was the most important problem facing the country, concern over the changing climate has had significant impact on voters’ choices in the past two presidential elections.

Colorado Sunday

This Colorado rancher sees a world where conservation can turn a profit

Dave Gottenborg and his wife, Jean, go all-in on conservation ranching on their 3,000-acre Eagle Rock Ranch in Park County, where they work the land led by the ethos of the conservationist Aldo Leopold. As Tracy Ross reports in this week’s Colorado Sunday, this ranching family prides itself on being hands-on and transparent, often inviting customers to visit the ranch to see how their cows are raised and talk about sustainability.

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THE COLORADO REPORT

• Inside a new plan to bring public transportation to Red Rocks. Public shuttles via RTD could provide some relief to concertgoers wishing to avoid the traffic jams and parking hassles under a proposal by a Denver City Council member and Jefferson County commissioner.
  — The Denver Post 🔑
• Critical staffing crisis continues to impact 911 call times in Colorado Springs. The Colorado Springs 911 communications center remains critically understaffed, causing longer wait times when you call for help.
  — KKTV
• Colorado’s cooling marijuana industry leaves many smaller industrial buildings vacant. As the business model for cannabis evolves, growers are seeking warehouses with larger square footages and leaving smaller ones behind.
  — BusinessDen 🔑

🔑 = source has article meter or paywall

THE OPINION PAGE

COLUMNS

• Who would have bet that Shohei Ohtani would be touched by a gambling scandal? You can lay odds — probably with FanDuel — that this won’t be the last scandal for sports leagues now officially intertwined with legal gambling.
  — Mike Littwin
• I hope a Super Bowl ad sparked more interest in a Holy Week tradition. A controversial commercial depicting foot-washing demonstrates the reason we should be paying even more attention now.
  — Mario Nicolais

COMMUNITY

• Colorado voters should have the chance to give child sexual abuse victims a greater voice. Amendment to state constitution concerning statute of limitations is simple but would be substantial in safeguarding children
  — Kathryn Robb, CHILD USAdvocacy

The Colorado Sun is a nonpartisan news organization, and the opinions of columnists and editorial writers do not reflect the opinions of the newsroom. Read our ethics policy for more on The Sun’s opinion policy and submit columns, suggest writers or provide feedback at opinion@coloradosun.com.

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I’m sure spring is around here somewhere. Hopefully we’ll see some of it before summer.

Thanks for starting your week with us! Have a great day and we’ll see you back here tomorrow.

— Eric and the whole staff of The Sun

Corrections & Clarifications

Notice something wrong? The Colorado Sun has an ethical responsibility to fix all factual errors. Request a correction by emailing corrections@coloradosun.com.

Type of Story: News

Based on facts, either observed and verified directly by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.