Know Your Candidates 2026: Suzanne Bonamici, U.S. House, District 1
U.S. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici discusses data center energy costs and regulation in a KATU candidate interview. She says data centers should pay for their energy use, not receive tax breaks, and that communities should have a say in where they are built.
In a KATU interview for its 2026 candidate series, U.S. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, a Democrat representing Oregon’s 1st Congressional District, addressed affordability, education, foreign policy and data center regulation. She said data centers should not increase energy costs for residents or receive tax breaks, and argued that communities should have a voice in determining where facilities are located.
Bonamici connected data center growth to the need for federal oversight of artificial intelligence, calling for safeguards involving privacy, security and bias. She also referenced a House bill requiring data centers to pay for their energy use, but the interview did not focus on a specific data center project or local development decision.