Two weeks after the contentious approval of a new data center expansion, the Clark County Commission is scheduled Tuesday to discuss the potential of "new regulations and the approval criteria" for data center construction, according to a meeting agenda posted Wednesday. 

Commissioner Tick Segerblom (D) told The Nevada Independent that he requested the item be put on the agenda to start the discussion around data centers after more than a dozen people spoke out at a county commission meeting last month to protest a Switch data center expansion. 

"It's a hot topic, and it seems that people are scared," Segerblom said. However, he said he's not considering any concrete ideas yet. "I'm not sure if we're considering a moratorium, it's really just a discussion item to throw things out there."

Several municipalities in the state, including Reno, Henderson and several rural counties, have implemented or are moving to consider a moratorium on new data center construction. Nationally, it's been opposed by elected officials on both sides of the aisle, with some calling it the most "bipartisan issue since beer." 

Currently, there are around 30 data centers in Southern Nevada, with more than 70 in the state, according to Data Center Map, an online tracker of data center developments worldwide.

As the artificial intelligence boom has called for the buildout of new data center infrastructure, communities in the state have protested over concerns how new centers might impact the state's environmental goals, water usage and consumer costs. Uncertainty, and a lack of data, over the benefits and drawbacks of the new construction has only muddied the conversation in Nevada. 

Olivia Tanager, director for the Toiyabe Chapter of the Sierra Club, said she was expecting a broad discussion at next week's commission meeting, including opponents and supporters such as labor leaders and industry stakeholders. 

The Sierra Club chapter has written an eight-page policy proposal for "best practices" for data center regulation in the state. In lieu of a ban or a moratorium on new construction, the Sierra Club is suggesting zoning so that data centers are not built close to residences, schools and public parks. It also recommends the centers rely on renewable energy and minimize emissions, limit noise, use closed-loop cooling systems and meet a certain aesthetic standard. 

"There is a way to move forward with projects that would bring economic prosperity to Southern Nevada and would continue to protect and steward our natural resources," Tanager said. 

The Southern Nevada Water Authority, unlike other municipalities in the state, in 2023 implemented a ban on evaporative cooling, a water-intensive system employed by older data centers, including  a Google data center campus in Henderson. 

However, Tanager said there are other concerns with data center expansion, such as increased electricity costs, potential emission-heavy back-up gas generators and increased noise. 

Switch, one of the oldest data center companies in the country, has operated in Las Vegas for almost three decades. Segerblom said the company, which claims they operate on 100 percent renewable energy and uses a closed-loop water cooling system, seems to be the "gold standard" for data centers. 

Still, Segerblom said other data centers coming into the region might not meet the same criteria. 

"We need some type of ordinance," he said. "Let's try to get ahead of the game."