The petition opposing a Boulder City data center is attracting attention from the leading candidates for Nevada's next governor, including Democratic Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford and Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo. The Townsite data center project has been controversial due to potential environmental and energy impacts, and developers hope to address these misconceptions. Ford said he would require data center companies to pay for the energy they consume and build out the additional electrical grid infrastructure to deliver it. Lombardo said he supports data centers as part of Nevada’s economic growth strategy but their development must be balanced with the needs of Nevadans. The petition organizer and resident Branden Smith expressed concern over the ecological challenges, economic challenges, and heat-related impact of any data center being placed in an unsuitable location.