Polis defends data centers as Colorado juggles energy demands

At Colorado's Aspen Ideas Festival, Governor Jared Polis, who's leaving office in January, defended data centers as essential to supporting AI growth—but only if they reduce utility rates and respect the state's water constraints. Polis acknowledged public frustration about AI's rise, but argued the backlash is aimed at AI itself rather than the infrastructure needed to power it. Colorado has become a model of 'all of the above' energy policy: renewable generation has tripled in a decade while natural gas remains dominant. Polis criticized the Trump administration for keeping coal-fired power plants operating; coal's share of Colorado's electricity has dropped from sixty percent in twenty fourteen to just twenty-seven percent in twenty twenty-four. But the interview was overshadowed by tragedy: three firefighters were killed that day fighting a wildfire west of Aspen, with winds gusting to thirty-five miles per hour and smoke creating air quality comparable to Delhi's worst days. Climate change and wildfires have become defining issues in Polis' tenure. Looking ahead, he faces one final challenge: negotiating new Colorado River operating rules by October first as the region's megadrought stretches into a third decade.

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