Opinion: Stop building more data centers
A Bow, New Hampshire resident and environmental advocate is urging Congress to pass the PRICE and Data Center Transparency Acts to address the environmental and health impacts of data centers. This follows a local meeting and rally in Bow where residents raised concerns about a possible AI data center and requested a moratorium on new facilities. The proposed federal legislation aims to mandate clean energy for large data centers and require federal agencies to report on their environmental and consumer impacts.
Sue Moore, a longtime Bow, New Hampshire resident and co-leader of the Concord Chapter of Climate Hope Affiliates, has urged Congress to pass two federal bills aimed at regulating data centers. Her appeal follows a significant turnout at a recent Bow Selectmen meeting and a rally where residents from Bow and surrounding towns expressed major concerns about the potential air, water, and noise pollution from a proposed AI data center, particularly one being fast-tracked without public input. Moore, an environmental science educator, specifically called for a moratorium on data center construction until these environmental and health issues are adequately addressed.
The opinion piece highlights two bipartisan bills: the Preventing Rate Inflation in Consumer Energy (PRICE) Act (HR 6983) and the Data Center Transparency Act (HR 6984), introduced by Representatives Rob Menendez (D-NJ) and Greg Casar (D-TX). The PRICE Act would mandate that large data centers (over 50 MW) generate their own electricity and transition to 75% clean energy by 2035 and 100% by 2040, with daily penalties for non-compliance. The Data Center Transparency Act would require federal agencies like the EPA and Energy Information Administration to regularly report on data centers' air pollution, water use, energy consumption, and impacts on household utility bills.
Moore argues that while local bans and moratoriums offer some protection, a unified national approach is essential to address the widespread environmental and financial costs borne by residents from data centers. She cites examples of "hyperscale" data centers, including an XAI facility in Memphis, to illustrate patterns of environmental injustice. Moore, alongside other advocacy groups like Creation Justice Ministries, is championing these bills as crucial steps to protect communities and the environment from the adverse effects of unchecked data center expansion.