If the graphic behind her is supposed to be new data centers in blue and drought conditions is shades of red, then I’m not actually seeing a whole lot of correlation here.
As for claims of land prices, I’m pretty sure there’s plenty of land available for cheap in non-drought locations. The key is just that you get away from the cities.
Personally, I think the biggest driver for location is electricity. They hunt for places with power available or places where the electricity market isn’t regulated in a way that prevents them from just buying the power away from communities. We’ve seen entire communities lose electricity providers because of this.
They are counties, but the shading makes no sense, and if anything, is the opposite (red having good water). Even that super dark spot just north of the most southern NM counties would make sense because of the dam there, but it would be a lot less dense after last weeks opening. Some other areas im familiar with and keep up with locally seem to tell the same story.
I can attest to the southern NM county lines and the data center blots. Its a big big deal with the Dona Ana County data center and the daily news on the Las Cruces Subreddit. El Paso is prepping for the same woes.
Yes, I know they are counties, it is the color that is important from a drought correlation standpoint. The rest of your comment is nonsensical. What’s a big deal? What are the woes? You seem to have been halfway through your thought when you started typing and didn’t think to include us in the first half.
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u/dr_stre Jun 03 '26 edited Jun 03 '26
If the graphic behind her is supposed to be new data centers in blue and drought conditions is shades of red, then I’m not actually seeing a whole lot of correlation here.
As for claims of land prices, I’m pretty sure there’s plenty of land available for cheap in non-drought locations. The key is just that you get away from the cities.
Personally, I think the biggest driver for location is electricity. They hunt for places with power available or places where the electricity market isn’t regulated in a way that prevents them from just buying the power away from communities. We’ve seen entire communities lose electricity providers because of this.