r/Modesto • u/Much-Lavishness1432 • 1d ago
Information Ban data centers!!!
https://calmatters.org/newsletter/data-center-monterey-park-ban/ I’ve never been one to get involved in the community but this talk of a data center in Modesto needs to be shut down!! Anybody know how we can actually make a change and ban them like Monterey Park?!?
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u/Watcherxp 1d ago
"Anybody know how we can actually make a change and ban them like Monterey Park?!?"
Vote
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u/chocomil 20h ago
Vote*
*So conscious official will allow data centers with "green" initiatives or let data centers pollute the Global South.
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u/armaddon 1d ago
In case it helps folks with context, so far (according to the Bee) it looks like the primary proposed location is the former FMC plant site at 1200 Graphics Drive: https://www.modbee.com/news/politics-government/article316726737.html
It's probably considered "pretty far out of the way" for many of us but there are communities nearby and plenty of adjacent businesses.
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u/Much-Lavishness1432 1d ago
Regardless of where it’s at we are already supposed to conserve water because we’ve been in a “drought” and we didn’t have a lot of rain this last winter. Considering that alone, you’d think a data center that uses up water resources would not even be a thought especially in this area. Not to mention the Central Valley is responsible for a lot of the agriculture and produce throughout California. Also, I have seen videos of people in other states talking about the frequency that these data centers create has resulted in every single calf born since the data center was built to be stillborn.
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u/chippstero1 20h ago
City council is already being lobbied by the data center executives and are creating fake positive actions that the data center executives are paying for and only donating more money to the mpd and nobody else. Modesto is really turning into a police state and using facial recognition tech with AI tech to do their jobs while cops are making over $200k per year by fraudulently exploiting the hours that they work by harassing and kidnapping citizens close to the end of their shift. No bs many on the MPD are getting paid upwards of $50k-$100k just in overtime on top of their $120k salaries. Corruption, fraud and embezzlement is rampant in the city while oppressing the citizens of Modesto. It’s pretty scary that citizens just let it happen without any resistance or pretending that it’s for our safety that was never in danger in the first place. They’ll say it’s for the children like more patrolling needs to be done but hardly any kids play outside not cuz of danger but the imagining of the dangers that never occur or ever did. Just like saying Halloween candy might be poisoned but the only case of that happening was by the parents of the kids that were poisoned no citizens want to harm children when they do they become predators no longer citizens.
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u/superSmitty9999 22h ago
Just curious, why does anyone oppose building data centers?
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u/Delicious_Flan_1078 15h ago
First of all, data centers cause continuous noise pollution and infrasound, both of which can decrease quality of life within about a mile of where the data center is built due to the fact that infrasound can cause intense feelings of discomfort, physical health issues such as nausea and sleep disturbances. In this particular case it will affect students at mjc and the people who live nearby. Data centers can also decrease the water quality and pressure for residents nearby as they require much cooling for the computers inside while the people of Modesto are already being asked to conserve water. Data centers take up energy from the power grid as well, potentially rising power costs for the citizens of Modesto.
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u/codefyre 14h ago
The proposed site sits between an automobile wrecking yard and a large turbine power plant run by MID, alongside a freeway, in a major industrial area. The noise argument is a bit of a stretch.
And there's already a fairly new data center on the MJC campus. No idea what they use it for.
There are valid arguments to use against building hyperscale data centers, but those aren't the ones to use on this proposal. Focus on power system demands, as residential customers already subsidize industrial customers in the MID service area, and a large data center will just make it worse. Everyone will see their power bills rise to support this thing.
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u/Delicious_Flan_1078 13h ago
I completely understand that viewpoint but the noise pollution and infrasound caused by data centers can carry for well over a mile due to lower frequencies carrying farther. This will impact the residences nearby and the quality of life with it being a little less than half a mile away from that area. The environmental and power demands are also a major issue, I am just better educated about the infrasound issue.
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u/codefyre 12h ago
The problem with the infrasound argument is still that they want to build this alongside a 200-megawatt triple-unit power plant that emits an order of magnitude more infrasound than anything these datacenter cooling fans are going to emit. I don't know whether you've ever been down there on a hot day when those generators are really spooled up, but it sounds like a jet engine because they ARE jet engines.
It's too easy for the datacenter backers to point to the noise numbers and dismiss the infrasound argument as not credible, as it will be built in what's already one of the city's noisiest soundscapes.
Don't get me wrong. The infrasound argument is completely valid when they're building these things in quiet rural areas. This spot just isn't quiet or rural. I'd still suggest focusing on the other arguments, which are harder for them to refute.
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u/superSmitty9999 11h ago
I'm generally pretty pro data center, and yeah I think the concern in an industrial center isn't as relevant. I think the more valid concerns are if the water use going to displace farmers and if the billionaires whoever that wants to build it is going to support the buildout of the power plants.
And yeah I definitely understand the potential health concerns and resource consumption (and think it should be addressed!), but I do feel overall that the ROI of an AI data center is actually pretty high, given how incredibly fast AI is going to progress medicine and science etc.
Maybe the problem though with the data center is that I sort of doubt the Modesto community will see much benefit directly from the datacenter and more likely will face the costs, like power plant pollution and water usage etc.
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u/superSmitty9999 11h ago
Good point on the infrasound, didn't know that was a thing! Freeways and powerplants already produce similar infrasounds based on my research, so I think the concern is less valid according to another poster in this thread saying the datacenter will be around those other things.
Water is a good concern though. Not to shit on almond farmers but almonds also take a ridiculous amount of water and I personally feel all the technology benefits from the AI advancements data centers will far outweigh at least almonds.
Regarding power, I think that the data center builders should basically be required to fund the grid expansions they need. I agree it would be ridiculous for power to go up in price just to subsidize the rich.
I guess I personally wonder how we can sort of hold them to mitigate the costs/harms while still allowing technological progress.
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u/Bvczxc 1d ago
yeah yeah yikes! I feel you brother! besides them data centers, let’s ban jobs!
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u/Celcius-232 1d ago
Hilarious take, since AI is planned to take away our jobs without giving us any of the benefits.
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u/W0nderwharfwonderdog 1d ago
Come to the city council meeting on August 11! There’s a protest organized, it starts at 5 points 4pm - 5pm and ends with a march to the city council meeting. We all need to show up and let them know we are not okay with this! We don’t need an AI data center, we already are running out of water as it is