Bitcoin mining is worse case scenario, but it being a data center isn't good either.

Hornbeck said:

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So, the CEO of Priority Power came out on KBTX, and said, "this is an AI data center".

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Quote:

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Priority Power is an independent energy management services and consulting firm. We act as an extension of our client's staff to develop and implement strategies that mitigate risk and overcome challenges associated with managing energy data, supply, demand, and delivery infrastructure. By leveraging our deep experience and resources, combined with unsurpassed commitment, Priority delivers financial and operational improvements to our clients as their trusted energy advisors.

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Priority power is a energy management service. They work for a client. That client may be an AI company but it can also be a BITCOIN company tomorrow. So technically the CEO is not lying as of this morning.

Significantly a community in NC is facing the same issue.

Quote:

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Tarboro, North Carolina, residents are urging their town council to reject a proposal for a 50-acre, 300-megawatt Energy Storage Solutions LLC site projected to bring 500 jobs and millions of dollars in tax revenue to the town.
"This project poses significant risks that outweigh any potential benefits, not only to those living nearby but to the entire town," Cynthia Coker wrote in a statement attached to a Change.org petition she created. "The serene environment, character, and community cohesion we cherish in Tarboro could be dramatically altered by the presence of such a massive facility."
Coker went on to say, "Data centers are notorious for consuming enormous amounts of electricity and water, leading to increased utility rates and depletion of local resources."

https://www.foxbusiness.com/economy/north-caroilna-residents-fight-back-against-massive-tech-project-potentially-coming-their-town

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COCS should tread very carefully with this issue. BUT I figure as usual council will be seduced by the dollar and not their constituents voices. I'd like to be proven wrong, but it isn't their history.

exMachina said:

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I have been struggling with the question of who exactly wants this deal. In the grand scheme of things, 30 million is peanuts. To reinforce this point, this would correspond to $250 per College Station resident, assuming Priority Power buys the entire lot.

Then, why would the city want a project like this? I think the obvious answer was given by Bob Yancy during the town hall. He described the city government as a service provider, offering services such as trash collection, water, and electricity. From this perspective, acquiring a client that would likely require more services than all of their current "customers" makes sense to them. The only issue here is that, unlike a private utility company, maximizing revenues is not consistent with maximizing the well-being of its stakeholders (us/residents of College Station). A simple example would be that the city could raise the cost of electricity tomorrow and likely generate more revenue, and most residents would not be better off.

Another reason to proceed with the sale is that the benefits from the transaction will be accrued soon, likely with this administration. In contrast, the costs will accrue in years to come, likely with another administration. Moreover, the current administration could always argue that they built in the correct measures into the contract, but their successors failed to regulate the data center/crypto mine effectively.

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Because being a service provider is not the true mandate of civil government. Serving is the mandate. Serving the will of the people and the common good, profit be d$$ned.

That little misunderstanding of mandate leads to a business mentality to maximizes profits to do more "stuff" and justifies this current crazy triangle of the power to tax together with land and utility ownership. We give power to the civil government that we don't give to private industry. When the former starts acting like the latter and quite literally takes the means of production because they can, well, I hope we all know what that leads to.

I've had quite a few conversation this last week with people from all walks of life. Most don't like it. Nobody thinks it's a slam dunk. But everyone thinks the current contract and the way the whole ordeal was hidden from the public without cause is nuts.

Mr Yancy, you do realize all the numbers you will see from folks involved will be highly optimistic about the project and diminish the very real problems of water and power consumption and noise long term. All those producing the numbers stand to benefit if the project is approved. City employees will be thinking of nice raises from the influx of money.
.Posters here have done a nice job of pointing out the long term damage that would result from this project being approved. Please listen to them.

I closed the email I sent to the mayor and council members with their mission statement"On behalf of the citizens of College Station, home of Texas A&M University, the council will promote and advance the community's quality of life." I fail to see how selling this land to Priority Power Management, LLC advances the quality of life for most of the residents of the community.

Council members need to remember their mission.

MUAG said:

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Mr Yancy, you do realize all the numbers you will see from folks involved will be highly optimistic about the project and diminish the very real problems of water and power consumption and noise long term. All those producing the numbers stand to benefit if the project is approved. City employees will be thinking of nice raises from the influx of money.
.Posters here have done a nice job of pointing out the long term damage that would result from this project being approved. Please listen to them.

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Does he regret starting this thread? Probably not, it got the word out and made him look better than the rest of the council and the mayor.

However, he can no longer (along with his usual fanboy) point at "a handful of naysayers" being the only people in opposition to this plan, while claiming to have heard a lot of positives from outside this thread.

The Aggieland Board has not had a thread like this since…maybe ever? Never has this board been so united.

Everyone has done a good job of making their displeasure known. And their distrust of city leadership.

I would also like to thank Staff for letting this thread take the direction it took without them having to step in.

I think that town hall was also an eye opener. Both back rooms at Coopers were SRO

Here is a question.

Why is Rusty Surette negotiating concessions from the seller that city staffers could not or would not?

Then Rusty makes a post saying "CEO says "it's not bitcoin!""

If this thing is so great, let Mr. Schwertner '99 (Aggie football player) build this in Montgomery County next to his house in The Woodlands.

So let's clear this up, before the big council meeting.

• Priority power, a energy management service, is facilitating a deal for someone (unnamed) who wants to build a data center.
• The unnamed agent may lease out space in the center for one or more clients (we do not know).
• The citizens of College Station, have no idea who will be the lessee(s) are or will be (at this time).
• We the citizens, through CoCS utilities, will need to provide power and water to Priority power, which we may or may not presently have.
• We the citizens will need to put up with the noise pollution the data center will generate.
• We the citizens will not have a say in this at all, except to speak at the meeting.

Is there anything I have missed?

Bob Yancy said:

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MUAG said:

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Mr Yancy, you do realize all the numbers you will see from folks involved will be highly optimistic about the project and diminish the very real problems of water and power consumption and noise long term. All those producing the numbers stand to benefit if the project is approved. City employees will be thinking of nice raises from the influx of money.
.Posters here have done a nice job of pointing out the long term damage that would result from this project being approved. Please listen to them.

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I'm sorry I have not responded to the (literally) thousands of emails that we have received but I just saw your question. Yes I take everything with a grain of salt. I'm neck deep in a 1000 page agenda right now. See y'all tonight.

Respectfully

Yancy '95

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1000 page agenda? Yet another good reason to postpone the data center discussion until another time.

The phrase "bury them in paper work" applies to this council meeting.

doubledog said:

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So let's clear this up, before the big council meeting.

• Priority power, a energy management service, wants to build a data center.
• Priority power or one of its agents will then lease out space in the center for one or more clients.
• The citizens of College Station, have no idea who will be the lessee(s) are or will be (at this time).
• We the citizens, through CoCS utilities, will need to provide power and water to Priority power, which we may or may not presently have.
• We the citizens will need to put up with the noise pollution the data center will generate.
• We the citizens will not have a say in this at all, except to speak at the meeting.

Is there anything I have missed?

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They're facilitating this deal for someone who wants to build a data center. They do not build or operate data centers

On the 'provide power' power piece. It gets muddy. SB6 discusses this but is not perfectly clear. It says they will have to 'contribute'.

To me that doesn't sound like pay for everything, and I would imagine they were only going to bring in the minimum required. This is all regulated by ERCOT and the Texas PUC.

Depending on their agreement with ERCOT, We may also have to pay the new place place millions to throttle back during an emergency. Which has not yet been defined. But the city city has no say in what an emergency is that is up to ercot. They are still finalizing the rulebook to be implemented January 1. So we don't even know what all the implications are until that is implemented.

Also ERCOT doesn't regulate the water. I guess that's all CSU.

Trying to cram while they all had a year + to prepare

Bryan Woods, once again, working behind the scenes to ruin our city. Why is he still employed??

Also please double check my work. I will not be offended at all if I am wrong. Trying to decipher the legalese in a State Senate bill is not my forte.

Additionally, the timing of this whole thing is terrible because ERCOT is currently writing the rulebook on how payments for voluntarily throttling, disconnecting large users over 75 megawatts, and what constitutes an emergency?

That doesn't have to be done until the end of the year because it will take effect January 1. Yet we have just hours remaining to present our case.

91_Aggie said:

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Bryan Woods, once again, working behind the scenes to ruin our city. Why is he still employed??

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Cannot emphasize this enough!

doubledog said:

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So let's clear this up, before the big council meeting.

• Priority power, a energy management service, is facilitating a deal for someone (unnamed) who wants to build a data center.
• The unnamed agent may lease out space in the center for one or more clients (we do not know).
• The citizens of College Station, have no idea who will be the lessee(s) are or will be (at this time).
• We the citizens, through CoCS utilities, will need to provide power and water to Priority power, which we may or may not presently have.
• We the citizens will need to put up with the noise pollution the data center will generate.
• We the citizens will not have a say in this at all, except to speak at the meeting.

Is there anything I have missed?

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I'll add that turning this location into a single use industrial park while bringing in negligible jobs that do nothing to promote retail in the area does not increase the quality of life for the residents. To the contrary it will be a nuisance

Sorry, everyone, but I am still stuck on why in the he!! is the City of College Station in the real estate business. I'll catch up someday! See you tonight!!

OK, which one of you did this?

I would think the city can go do just fine using regulations, restrictions, zoning, and ordinances to control development without resorting to ownership. I'm trying to get there but just can't!!

Are you allowed to bring a shop vac that's as loud as these facilities to the meeting tonight? I say 10 people line up back-to-back and just run that thing for their entire speaking time so our friends at city hall can enjoy the same noise that residents will get to enjoy in their backyards 24/7.

BTHO DATA CENTERS!!!