MESA — Attorney General Kris Mayes told a packed town hall Wednesday that she is investigating a south Phoenix AI data center and may sue the developer under Arizona’s public-nuisance law.
Roughly 150 Phoenix-area residents filled the Eagles Community Center gym in Mesa. More than half said they were focused on the MenLo Digital hyperscale project under construction in Ahwatukee. Mayes said nearly 50 data centers are built or planned statewide and warned they could raise energy costs and strain water supplies by at least 32%.
Ahwatukee resident Ana Marshall, who lives about 150 feet from the site, said construction noise has woken her family at all hours and that she recorded levels as high as 110 decibels inside a child’s bedroom. Phoenix has stationed inspectors at the roughly 1-million-square-foot site and negotiated quieter work rules after complaints.
In August, Mayes urged the Legislature and Gov. Katie Hobbs to pause new data-center approvals. She said Wednesday she cannot impose that moratorium alone but has used nuisance law before, including against a west Valley alfalfa farm. A 2025 analysis she cited estimated data-center water demand in the greater Phoenix area could jump more than 450% if every planned project is built.
Mayes said she is running a “robust investigation” and expects bills next session. MenLo Digital did not reply to Courthouse News’ request for comment.
Sources: Courthouse News. Thee Arizona Times uses AI-assisted reporting reviewed against the sources listed.
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