Cherokee Nation is looking into what impacts data centers could have on the reservation and its citizens.
On Tuesday, Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. signed an executive order creating a task force to study the environmental impacts data centers can have on the land and its residents. The goal is to better understand how the infrastructure and natural resources needed to fuel the technology will affect the reservation.
The nine-person group, led by Cherokee Nation Secretary of Natural Resources Christina Justice, will seek external and internal expertise as well as input from Cherokee Nation citizens.
“This new task force demonstrates that we understand that no use of technology is consequence free,” said Deputy Chief Bryan Warner. “But we cannot begin to understand what policy options are available to Cherokee Nation to responsibly shape the future of AI and data centers by simply reacting. Instead, this calls for careful and balanced study.”
The task force report is due to Chief Hoskin by June 30 and will focus on answering questions about the current status of data center construction, environmental concerns, economic opportunities or determents, governmental policies and citizen concerns.
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