Two opposing proposals in the Colorado legislature could either make the state a competitive home for data centers or dampen the potential for growth.
A bill designed to encourage data centers to develop in the state, House Bill 26-1030, proposes a 20-year exemption on sales and use taxes for projects that meet certain requirements. Another bill, which has yet to be introduced, is expected to require data center companies to offset their energy use with renewable sources. 
Colorado has almost all of the criteria to be an ideal place to develop data centers, such as access to fiber, demand from industries, strong…