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Data Centers and Groundwater

AI and cloud data centers are no longer just real estate projects. They are energy- and resource-intensive infrastructure carrying real regulatory, environmental, and litigation exposure. As data centers continue to expand alongside advances in artificial intelligence and cloud computing, their growing demand for water, particularly groundwater for cooling, presents new challenges and opportunities for the groundwater industry.

Will Cooper has more than 20 years of professional experience as an economist, specializing in the economic analysis of public policies, the valuation of natural resources, and natural disaster risk and reduction strategies. His primary areas of focus have been on the appropriate use of quantitative methods to study the economic impacts of public investments and climate change and adaptation strategies related to coastal erosion, floods, drought, and wildfires. He also has significant experience valuing natural resources and estimating impacts on ecosystem services, such as recreation and tourism. He specializes in econometrics and quantitative models and their application to environmental analyses. He has developed automated tools and analytical programs for use in labor analysis, energy, transportation, mining, health, economic forecasting, and cost analysis. Analyses performed by Mr. Cooper have been published in the Federal Register, and he has co-authored publications that have appeared in peer-reviewed journals.

Lessons Learned for Data Centers: Environmental Due Diligence and Permitting Considerations

The rapid buildout of data centers to support cloud computing and AI workloads is running headlong into a permitting reality that many developers don't see coming until it's too late: the environmental due diligence and permitting requirements associated with these projects can significantly impact site selection, project timelines, and development costs. This session offers a practical guide to the environmental due diligence and permitting considerations that shape data center development. 
 
Drawing on direct project experience, this session walks through the practical air permitting lessons learned across the full lifecycle of a data center project, from site selection through permit issuance and beyond. More specifically, we will dive into how the Clean Air Act framework — NAAQS, attainment/nonattainment status, NSPS, NESHAP/MACT, and Title V — plays out differently for different areas, and why understanding regional background conditions early can prevent surprise hurdles later. We will also discuss other key environmental considerations throughout the development process, including environmental due diligence during land acquisition, National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) construction stormwater permitting, endangered species and habitat reviews, and other regulatory requirements that can affect project feasibility and schedules. The session will highlight practical lessons learned and strategies for identifying environmental risks early, avoiding unexpected permitting delays, and keeping projects on track.

Ashley Jones is a Principal Consultant with over 20 years of experience in environmental consulting. Currently working in Trinity Consultant’s Denver, Colorado office, she has extensive experience in environmental permitting, air dispersion modeling, and compliance at the federal level and in many state and local jurisdictions, including Colorado, Wyoming, and Montana in the Rockies Region. Ms. Jones has successfully managed complex environmental permitting and compliance projects on behalf of her industrial clients in power generation, data centers, oil and gas, and many other industries. 

Ms. Jones graduated with a B.S. in Atmospheric Science with an emphasis in Air Pollution from the University of Kansas.

Jake Levin represents companies, developers and lenders in environmental regulatory and transactional matters, with a focus on environmental risk in corporate, real estate and project finance transactions. He advises on environmental diligence, compliance and enforcement issues that affect deal structure, timing and value, and counsels clients on federal and state enforcement matters, including spill and release issues, corrective action obligations, and agency inquiries and enforcement actions.

He also represents lenders and developers in the development and financing of energy and infrastructure projects, including solar, wind, geothermal, data center and battery storage assets, with a focus on permitting and regulatory requirements.