White House Economic Adviser Says Localities Can Reject Data Centers
National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett said local governments should decide whether to allow data centers in their communities. He acknowledged that some areas are seeking to restrict data center growth, while arguing that job creation and new power generation could provide economic benefits elsewhere.
National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett told CNBC that the White House supports a federalist approach to data center development: communities that do not want data centers should be able to reject them. He said the administration expects the economic benefits of data centers, including job creation and additional power generation, to persuade some communities to support future projects.
Hassett said roughly 40 ballot initiatives sought to constrain data centers, but maintained that projects already scheduled over the next several years would generally not be affected. He predicted that new projects could migrate toward states with supportive governors and cited Loudoun County, Virginia, as an example of a community where large data centers are changing the local character. He said residents should determine whether development fits their communities.