Steenbergen: Chamber Wants Hard Data Center Questions, Truthful Answers

Greater Cheyenne Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Dale Steenbergen says the chamber wants to make factual information on data center projects more accessible to the public.

Steenbergen says the chamber is working to develop an informational website and host events to give people factual information on the data center issue in Laramie County. He made the comments during an interview on the ''Weekend In Wyoming" on Saturday on AM 650, KGAB.

You can hear the interview in the audio file at the bottom of the page

Steenbergen Says Data Centers Are Neither All Good Nor All Bad

Steenbergen says data centers are neither inherently good nor evil, adding, "people need to be informed." He goes on to say, "What we're trying to do is set up some online presence and have events where we ask hard questions and get data centers to participate with us and answer truthful questions.''

He adds ''Do they use power? Yup, they do. Every industry does. How are they going to make sure that as a community, we are going to be protected from that extra power use they may have?"

But he says the other side of the issue is that " Look, the truth is we all want our phone, and we all want to use debit cards and use the things that data centers are going to drive into the future. And frankly, they make our country stronger to be able to provide those services.

''But we deserve to know what we as communities potentially stand to gain and to lose from a data center and any other industry."

Towards that end, Steenbergen says the chamber is working on a system so people can interact with data centers and get facts "that we're going to put out online that aren't skewed in either direction."

Hear Dale Steenbergen Interview Here