Lawmakers are trying to get data centers to pay for their own power as they gear up to face voters squeezed by high energy bills in the November midterm elections. But it’s not a simple—or fast—fix.
Power-hungry data centers are springing up nationwide to support expanded artificial intelligence capabilities. Wholesale electricity costs have increased up to 267% in areas located near significant data center activity from 2020 to 2025, according to a Bloomberg News analysis.
More than a dozen proposed bills in Congress aim to prevent data centers and their needed electric grid upgrades from burdening residents with associated ...