Colorado's outgoing governor made a forceful case this week for welcoming data centers to the state, even as wildfires raged nearby and the state confronts the consequences of a warming climate.
At the Aspen Ideas Festival, Democrat Jared Polis argued that opposition to data centers stems largely from unease about artificial intelligence itself, not from legitimate concerns about the infrastructure. "Of course, there needs to be data centers," Polis said. "As long as you can show me it's going to reduce our utility rates and be consistent with our water use, then absolutely we want them here."
The timing underscored the tension at the heart of Colorado's energy puzzle. As Polis spoke on stage, three firefighters died battling a wildfire hours away, and winds would soon push thick smoke into Aspen, degrading air quality to levels rivaling some of the world's most polluted cities. On the same evening, gusts exceeded 35 miles per hour, whipping flames across the border between Colorado and Utah.
Polis, who leaves office in January after two terms, framed data centers through a pragmatic lens. The real frustration driving the backlash, he suggested, points to deeper anxieties about AI and technological disruption. "There's a general frustration about what the rise of AI means," he said. "I think that's what is giving people pause."
The governor's position reflects Colorado's unusual energy position. The state has tripled renewable electricity generation over the past decade while maintaining natural gas as a dominant fuel source and continuing oil and gas production. This "all of the above" approach has defined Polis' tenure.
That pragmatism marks a notable evolution from his earlier activism. Before becoming governor, Polis backed ballot measures to restrict drilling near homes. In office, however, he pursued regulatory tightening rather than outright drilling bans. "The world evolved to me," he said in Aspen.
Yet Polis showed little patience for the Trump administration's push to keep coal-fired power plants operational in Colorado. Coal's electricity share has collapsed from 60 percent in 2014 to just 27 percent in 2024, a trend Polis expects to continue regardless of subsidies. "How long are you going to subsidize the highest cost form of energy that's on the grid?" he asked rhetorically. "Not very long."
The governor spoke most passionately about climate change itself. Wildfires now represent one of the defining crises of his administration, and he emphasized the need to combat them aggressively before they spread. Colorado has invested in its own aerial firefighting fleet precisely because the state can no longer rely on neighboring states as fires worsen across the region.
"The way we did things 50 years ago simply won't lead to the same positive outcomes," Polis said, referring to the diverse wildlife and healthy landscapes that define Colorado's character.
He also flagged the Colorado River crisis as a final major test. Seven states dependent on the river face an October 1 deadline to negotiate new operating rules as a megadrought enters its third decade. Without agreement, Polis warned, the result will not be swift resolution but prolonged litigation. "It will be many years," he said.
When asked in a closing rapid-fire round whether he'd rather hold a town hall on wolves or data centers, Polis laughed at the impossible choice before picking wolves. The decision seemed to acknowledge which issue truly tests his political capital in a state where wildlife reintroduction efforts clash sharply with livestock interests.
Author James Rodriguez: "Polis is threading an impossibly narrow needle, embracing AI infrastructure while fighting to protect Colorado from its own climate crisis, and his successor won't have the luxury of eight years to figure out which bet pays off."
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