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Land Use and Development Chair Sheri Bonstelle spoke with ABA Journal about California's efforts to support the growing demand for data centers while balancing renewable energy development and environmental regulations.

Excerpts:

Sheri Bonstelle, chair of the land use and development practice at the Los Angeles law firm Greenberg Glusker, points out that California is getting creative in seeking new sources of power for data centers’ unquenchable needs. “The state legislature is supportive of renewables like geothermal and fusion power,” she says.

Bonstelle adds that state lawmakers are also encouraging wind and solar renewables to amplify grid availabilities by exempting or streamlining projects to avoid the regulatory delays caused by the stringent California Environmental Quality Act.

“The data center lobby here is working nonstop, and the legislature is trying to be friendly to their needs while maintaining a balance with environmental concerns,” she says. “Data centers are the future.”