Sen. John Curtis proposes legislation to support communities faced with data center decisions
Sens. John Curtis and Lisa Blunt Rochester introduced legislation aimed at helping communities evaluate proposed data centers and their effects on electricity, water, infrastructure and local economies. The bills would provide technical assistance, independent analysis and updated federal data while preserving local authority over project decisions.
Sens. John Curtis, R-Utah, and Lisa Blunt Rochester, D-Del., introduced the Data Center Community Empowerment Act and the Data Center Transparency Act in the 119th Congress. The proposals respond to growing concerns about the resource demands of large-scale and artificial-intelligence data centers, including potential effects on power bills, water supplies, infrastructure and local economies.
The Community Empowerment Act would create a Department of Energy program to assist state, local and Tribal governments, develop a public toolkit and provide independent project analysis without recommending whether projects should be approved. The Transparency Act would direct the Environmental Protection Agency and Energy Information Administration to collect and regularly update information on data centers’ environmental impacts and resource use. Curtis said the measures would give local leaders reliable information while preserving local control.