Not long ago, the word “fracking” sparked debate across the country. People worried about water quality, infrastructure impacts, outside influence and whether the risks would outweigh the benefits. Those were valid concerns, but also fear of the unknown. Some states banned hydraulic fracturing, while others developed frameworks to manage it responsibly.
Today, we’re seeing a similar conversation around data centers. The rise of data centers, artificial intelligence (AI) and the public reaction surrounding them has happened almost overnight. Many of the questions people raise deserve to be heard, not dismissed. Concerns about privacy, jobs, energy use and AI’s broader impacts are understandable. I’ve asked some of the same questions myself. Heck, AI can be downright scary at times. But skepticism should lead to honest conversations, not automatic rejection. And while AI may shape our future in ways we’ve yet to fully understand, data centers themselves don’t concern me nearly as much when projects are developed using the same local, transparent and community-focused approach cooperatives have practiced for generations.
Like pipelines, oil and gas wells, power plants, wind farms, transmission lines and nearly every major infrastructure project before them, data centers can be developed responsibly. The question isn’t whether development happens. The question is whether it’s done right.
We’ve all seen projects where local concerns were brushed aside, leaving people feeling unheard. When trust is lost, nobody wins, including the industry itself. That’s where the cooperative model brings real value. Electric cooperatives live and work in the communities they serve. We know the landowners, understand local concerns and bring people together to find practical solutions.
When evaluating large-load opportunities, North Dakota electric cooperatives ask four questions: Does it protect existing members? Maintain reliability? Pay its own way? Leave the cooperative and community better? Those aren’t talking points. They’re common-sense questions every project should be able to answer. Existing members shouldn’t subsidize new development. Reliability can’t be compromised. And communities should see meaningful, lasting benefits in return, creating value that extends beyond the project itself and supports long-term community development.
As data center projects emerge, some suggest cooperatives aren’t equipped to serve projects of this scale. We’ve heard that before. Beyond providing reliable electricity across rural North Dakota, electric cooperatives helped power one of the nation’s largest oil and gas booms, supported the growth of value-added agriculture and built first-rate reliable electric infrastructure while maintaining the most affordable rates in the nation. Likewise, our broadband cooperative friends helped make North Dakota a national leader in connectivity, bringing high-speed internet to places others overlooked. Together, they’ve done so through a business model that measures success not by quarterly earnings, but by the value it creates for the people who depend on it.
That’s why I’m confident cooperatives can meet any challenge. We’ve done it before, and we’ll do it again by putting our members and our communities first. As we celebrate National Cooperative Month, it’s worth remembering local people working together can accomplish remarkable things.
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Josh Kramer, editor-in-chief of North Dakota Living, is executive vice president and general manager of NDAREC. Contact him at jkramer@ndarec.com.
