MAHA activists criticize Trump's coal pitch for AI centers; Kern site plans on-site power
A national health group pressed Trump to drop coal for AI data centers. In Kern County, a proposed Elk Hills project says it would run on its own plant.
MAHA activists criticize Trump's coal pitch for AI centers; Kern site plans on-site power
Key Takeaways
- MAHA leaders sent an Aug. 21 letter urging Trump to stop promoting coal for AI data centers.
- A proposed Elk Hills data center near Taft says it would use an on-site power plant.
- Fresno officials say city code doesn’t define data centers, though developers have shown interest.
- A March study found Fresno County’s solar curtailment could supply nearby data centers part-time.
A letter landed Friday telling President Donald Trump to stop talking up coal for the nation’s next wave of AI data centers. By line two the Valley was in the mix, with California Resources Corp.’s Chris Gould saying this week a Kern County proposal would lean on its own plant, not the grid.
Here’s why it matters in the Valley.
What MAHA said
Leaders tied to Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Make America Healthy Again movement argued the U.S. can lead on AI without more coal smoke. The letter, sent Aug. 21, names Zen Honeycutt and Charles Eisenstein among the signers and points to health harms from coal pollutants. It followed Trump officials’ public support for coal-fired power to meet fast-rising AI demand.
Kennedy, now serving as health secretary, has backed several MAHA-aligned policy moves since January. The group’s stance against coal for data centers is the latest split inside a coalition that otherwise overlaps with parts of Trump’s base.
Why this hits home
Just west of Taft, California Resources Corp. has floated the Golden Valley Technology Hub on roughly 100 acres at Elk Hills. Gould told a local station the concept includes a 400,000‑square‑foot hall and would rely on an underused on-site plant for primary power, with closed-loop cooling to recycle water. The project still needs county reviews and approvals. It was 101 degrees in Taft on Saturday.
In Fresno, the Planning Commission advanced the Southeast Development Area this week, and the debate turned to jobs that could follow. Councilmember Miguel Arias said the city wants data centers, but planning staff clarified Fresno’s code doesn’t define them, which complicates siting. A Reuters report last year said developers were kicking the tires here. Interest is real, the rulebook isn’t.
The power question
A March analysis from think tank Next 10 and University of Pennsylvania researchers says the PG&E “Fresno Zone” strands large amounts of midday solar because of grid congestion, especially along Path 15. They modeled a 20‑megawatt rural Fresno County data center using curtailed solar for about half the year, with lower build costs than Silicon Valley but a tougher first‑year leasing curve. It’s an argument for putting compute closer to where the sun already hits.
MAHA’s pitch against coal won’t decide what Kern or Fresno do next. But the letter puts a clean‑power test on a sector that local officials keep courting. And residents keep asking who pays for grid upgrades if big loads do connect.
What local officials and residents said
At the Fresno hearing, staff said new definitions or a code update would be needed before large facilities could file a clean application. That is a fixable problem, they said, though not overnight.
In Kern, supporters point to jobs and a private power plan. Critics worry about water and noise. "It’s a tremendous opportunity for economic development in Kern County," Gould said. Taft resident Emmanuel Campos put it more simply: "This is our opportunity."
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