Overview
- Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez introduced bills to halt new or expanded data centers to set federal safeguards for workers, privacy, and the environment.
- The White House, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, and Sen. Mark Warner oppose a moratorium and argue it would help China gain an edge in artificial intelligence.
- A new Institute for Energy Research study reports no statistical link between the number of data centers in a state and higher electricity rates and says higher usage can spread fixed grid costs over more kilowatt-hours.
- Local pushback continues as residents cite noise and infrastructure strain, with Loudoun County measuring a 90-decibel hum near CloudHQ facilities and requiring case-by-case approvals for new sites.
- States and cities are tightening rules or pausing projects, with Virginia mandating impact studies, Phoenix limiting zones, Denver enacting a one-year pause, New York proposing a three-year halt for energy-hungry sites, and an estimated $64 billion in projects blocked or delayed.