Resources
Core trackers, local records, a glossary, and guidance on weighing sources.
A short shelf of the most useful primary trackers, the key local records, a glossary, and guidance on weighing sources.
Reference
Core trackers & landmark studies
If you read only a handful of things, start here.
-
2024 LBNL Data Center Energy Usage Report
The reference U.S. dataset for data center energy and water.
-
IEA: Energy and AI
The leading global analysis of data center electricity demand and supply.
-
Pew: energy use at U.S. data centers
A concise, neutral synthesis with sources.
-
Making AI Less 'Thirsty' (water study)
The key academic water-footprint paper.
-
Bitcoin mining air-pollution study
Peer-reviewed PM2.5 analysis.
Local
Local records
The primary local sources, in one place.
-
City of Cascade (official site)
Council, boards, agendas, minutes, and the municipal utility.
-
Jones County Elections: Cascade officials
Independent listing of local officials and terms.
-
Cascade EDC (official pages)
The CEDC's mission, sites, and plans.
-
Simple Mining (company site)
The company's own descriptions and figures.
Plain-language definitions
Glossary
Proof-of-work / Bitcoin mining
The process of running specialized computers (ASICs) around the clock to validate Bitcoin transactions and earn new coins. It is energy-intensive by design.
Hyperscale data center
A very large facility (often hundreds of megawatts) run by big cloud or AI companies. Far larger than a containerized Bitcoin mine.
kW, MW, kWh, TWh
Watts measure power (rate of use); a megawatt (MW) is 1,000 kilowatts (kW). Watt-hours measure energy over time; a terawatt-hour (TWh) is a billion kilowatt-hours (kWh). A household uses on the order of 10,000 kWh a year.
PM2.5
Fine particulate matter 2.5 micrometers or smaller. It penetrates deep into the lungs and is linked to heart and respiratory disease.
Water withdrawal vs. consumption
Withdrawal is water taken from a source; consumption is water not returned (e.g., evaporated in cooling). Consumption is what most affects local supply.
Ratepayer / capacity market
A ratepayer is any customer who pays a utility bill. A capacity market is where utilities pay in advance to guarantee future power supply; rising capacity costs can flow into bills.
Be a careful reader
How to weigh a source
Check the source type
This site tags each link. Peer-reviewed and government sources carry the most evidentiary weight; industry, advocacy, and opinion sources have a viewpoint — still useful, but read accordingly.
Match the study to the project
Confirm whether a source is about hyperscale AI data centers or about Bitcoin mining, and at what scale, before applying its numbers to Cascade.
Follow figures to their origin
When a striking statistic appears in a news story or overview, trace it to the original report. Aggregated numbers are sometimes mis-stated along the way.
For the maintainer
Adding local documents
As they become available, the strongest additions to this site are local primary records: the CEDC–Simple Mining agreement, specific council/CMU meeting packets and minutes that mention the project, permit and zoning filings, and any disclosed power-demand figure. Link directly to the official PDF where possible, and tag it Official record or Primary source.