In most cases, projects in Chile that require water take a long time to receive approval. In Google’s case, the approval came quickly, even in the midst of a series of drought-related water emergencies. At first, MOSACAT sought to contest the project through Google’s local partner, a Chilean investment and services firm named Dataluna. The initial meeting went badly, MOSACAT says: The Dataluna representatives seemed to have little understanding of the project and denied that it would use fresh water. From there, MOSACAT went to the local government. The mayor and city council had themselves
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