Data Center Wars Heat Up in Congress

Congress is now caught in the fight over massive data centers that has already torn apart cities and states across the country. The battle over sprawling facilities with enormous electricity demands is moving from local zoning boards to Capitol Hill.

Data centers power everything from cloud storage to artificial intelligence. They’re popping up everywhere. But they also drive up electric bills for regular residents and can dominate entire neighborhoods. States and cities have been fighting about whether to allow them, how to regulate them, and who pays the price for their power consumption.

Now lawmakers in Washington are introducing bills to address the issue. The debate reflects a core problem: data centers need huge amounts of electricity, but nobody wants them in their backyard—and nobody wants to foot the bill for upgrades to the power grid.

Rhode Island has already grappled with data center proposals. The conversation in Congress suggests the tensions playing out here are becoming a national headache, forcing federal lawmakers to take sides in a fight that local officials have struggled to manage.

Based on reporting from Rhode Island Current.