AWS ends NDAs with government agencies, pledges water and energy reports
In brief
- AWS no longer uses NDAs with government agencies, Crypto Briefing reported.
- AWS pledged annual reports on energy, water use and carbon-free energy initiatives.
- AWS claims its facilities have minimal effects on water consumption and pollution.
- Oklahoma is considering a possible data center moratorium, according to Crypto Briefing.
What AWS announced
Per Crypto Briefing's report, the policy change landed amid ongoing backlash over the environmental and community impact of AWS's data centers. LeoDex News couldn't review AWS's original announcement, so we're relying on that report for the details (including the scope of the disclosure pledge) and aren't quoting the company directly.
The pledge itself is fairly specific. AWS said it'll publish annual reports on energy, water use and carbon-free energy initiatives, according to the report. Dropping NDAs with government agencies and promising regular public disclosure are two separate moves, but they point in the same direction.
AWS's claim on water and pollution
AWS claims its facilities have minimal effects on water consumption and pollution. That's the company's position, not an independent finding, and it's worth reading it that way until the promised annual reports put numbers behind it.
The announcement hasn't settled the argument.
Debates over the local impacts of data centers have continued since the announcement, Crypto Briefing reported. Ending NDAs speaks to the transparency criticism, and the reporting pledge speaks to the disclosure side; neither one, on its own, resolves the dispute over what these facilities do to the communities around them.
Oklahoma is the place to watch
Crypto Briefing said a possible data center moratorium is being considered in Oklahoma. The report describes it as a possibility under consideration. It doesn't point to a specific bill or hearing, and we're not aware of one from the sourcing available to us.
The outlet also flagged the Oklahoma Corporation Commission as a body whose statements or studies on how data centers affect local resources could be relevant. Will AWS's new annual reports give officials there something concrete to work with? That depends on what the first one actually contains.
