Bakersfield Now asks voters about AI data centers as Inyokern, Taft plans draw scrutiny
KBAK/KBFX posted a June 17 'Question of the Day' on whether residents support an AI data center, as Kern communities weigh proposed sites in Inyokern and near Taft.
Bakersfield Now asks voters about AI data centers as Inyokern, Taft plans draw scrutiny
Key Takeaways
- KBAK/KBFX asked readers on June 17 if they support an AI data center in their community.
- Separate proposals are being discussed for Inyokern and near Taft in Kern County.
- Ridgecrest officials and local institutions sent letters of concern to the California Energy Commission.
- Water use is the central public question raised in both communities.
The prompt was simple: "Would you support an AI data center being built in your community?" KBAK/KBFX posted the question on June 17 and invited readers to vote. It lands as Kern County residents are already debating two proposed sites, one in Inyokern and another near Taft, with water use driving most of the pushback.
On the station’s page, the weather banner read 98.
What the station asked
The post, published Wednesday, June 17, asked for a straight yes or no on local support for an AI data center. No advocacy. No embedded argument. Just a quick vote and a running conversation that mirrors what is being said in council chambers and at kitchen tables from Ridgecrest to Taft.
A fair question.
Where projects stand
In May, a proposed facility in Inyokern drew criticism over expected cooling water needs. Ridgecrest resident Jennifer Slayton pointed to the Indian Wells Valley’s designation as a basin in critical overdraft, the plain-language way of saying more water is pumped out than returns. "We are using more water than comes back into our land," she said.
Ridgecrest Councilmember Skip Gorman told the station that concerns have mounted since May. He said the city, China Lake Naval Air Weapons Station and the Sierra Sands Unified School District have all sent letters of concern to the California Energy Commission. That is a notable roster of senders for a town this size.
A separate proposal near Taft is also in circulation, with the station’s chief meteorologist noting the South Valley averages about six inches of rain a year. Taft is less water stressed than Inyokern, he added, but water is still limited in that part of Kern. Details on the Taft plan, including specific water sources and volumes, weren’t in the station’s report.
Why this matters in Kern
Kern County sits at the center of California’s energy buildout and water fights, sometimes in the same meeting. The reader poll is not binding on any agency, but it captures a live policy question for local boards and the California Energy Commission. If either project advances, it will move through hearings where traffic, power, noise, and especially water will be sized up in public.
For Bakersfield and surrounding communities, the decision matrix is familiar. Economic development on one side, resource constraints on the other. Residents want the numbers in writing, including cooling methods, peak water draw, and drought contingencies. The letters from Ridgecrest officials signal that local agencies expect those answers early, not after a groundbreaking.
The station’s question didn’t try to solve all that. It asked people to pick a side, at least for now. "The Indian Wells Valley has been classified as being in critical overdraft," Slayton said. "We are using more water than comes back into our land."
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