September 10, 2026

Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins, Democratic candidate for Alaska governor

Plan requires local approval and ensures Alaskans do not shoulder electric rate increases or subsidize data center development. Said September 10, 2026.

Democratic candidate for Alaska governor

Jonathan Kreiss Tomkins, Democratic candidate for governor, proposed a moratorium on all new data centers in Alaska until the legislature passes comprehensive regulation. Said September 10, 2026.

Democratic gubernatorial candidate

Doug Jones accused Tuberville of ethical malpractice for accepting campaign funds from large tech companies currently building data centers in west Alabama. Said September 10, 2026.

Applied Digital Corporation donated $25,000 to Tommy Tuberville's gubernatorial campaign in August 2026. Said September 10, 2026.

Democratic gubernatorial candidate

Doug Jones proposed a one year moratorium on data centers and higher property tax brackets for data centers. Said September 10, 2026.

Applied Digital Corporation also donated $100,000 to Republican Forward, a conservative Alabama super PAC. Said September 10, 2026.

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Arkansas lawmaker forms trade association focused on AI and data center policy. Said September 10, 2026.

environmental nonprofits

Colorado River flows have reduced by 20 percent since 2000. Said September 10, 2026.

environmental nonprofits

Colorado River flows have reduced by 30 percent since 2019. Said September 10, 2026.

assistant professor of agricultural and resource economics

Shinsuke Tanaka stated that downwind pollution from power plants led to higher COVID-19 mortality rates. Said September 10, 2026.

Republican gubernatorial candidate

Byron Donalds says data center industry donations do not influence his policy positions. Said September 10, 2026.

Republican gubernatorial candidate

Donalds says data centers are essential to commercial space race and national security. Said September 10, 2026.

Janet Smith, Interim Village Attorney, Indiantown Village

"I have statutory exceptions that the Council can use for trade secrets. If someone is bringing forward a proposal considered a trade secret and they're willing to indemnify the Village while they speak to us so we can protect their records, then we have that opportunity. So, an NDA should not be needed." Said September 10, 2026, Indiantown Village Council Meeting.

Janet Smith, Interim Village Attorney, Indiantown Village

"What we would like to proffer to the Council is two ordinances. They will both have to go through planning and zoning and come before you on two separate readings. You will have public comment at each of those meetings. The first one is the moratorium that we feel will be legally defensible. The second one is the transparency ordinance." Said September 10, 2026, Indiantown Village Council Meeting.

Republican gubernatorial candidate

Donalds advocates for local control on data centers. Said September 10, 2026.

Thor Equities states each direct data center job at Kingston Technology Hub would create an additional 4.5 ancillary jobs. Said September 10, 2026.

Google representative

Jen Ryan stated that Google worked with Columbia County leadership to exceed decibel standards and buffers for the data center. Said September 10, 2026.

Google representative Jen Ryan spoke at the Future Forward Summit about the Google data center coming to Columbia County, discussing standards for noise, lighting, and water usage. Said September 10, 2026.

Google representative

Jen Ryan said data centers employ many people, citing hundreds of employees at the Douglas County data center on any given day. Said September 10, 2026.

Columbia County Commissioner Doug Duncan stated that Google was an opponent during negotiations but understood the county's vision. Said September 10, 2026.

Google representative

Jen Ryan said the data center will follow certain standards when it comes to noise, lighting, and water usage. Said September 10, 2026.

Republican gubernatorial candidate

Republican candidate Zach Lahn calls for a statewide pause on data center construction. Said September 10, 2026.

Democratic gubernatorial candidate

Democratic candidate Rob Sand issued a standalone policy plan laying out his vision for data centers, calling for transparency, union jobs and setback requirements. Said September 10, 2026.

Democratic gubernatorial candidate

Sand stated Iowans have been getting a raw deal from data centers. Said September 10, 2026.

NO Data Center Concert organized by Robbie Bahr held in protest on September 13 from 2 to 10 p.m. at Clinton, Iowa Bandshell. Said September 10, 2026.

Illinois PIRG cites extreme energy demand and enormous water use as data center problems. Said September 10, 2026.

Chicago Tribune Editorial Board

Illinois experiencing higher electric bills directly translated from datacenter electricity consumption. Said September 10, 2026.

Illinois PIRG advocates for two year moratorium on large data centers. Said September 10, 2026.

Arnolt Center for Investigative Journalism

Companies are using non disclosure agreements to hide data center project details from the public in Indiana. Said September 10, 2026.

Shawnee County Commissioner Kevin Cook addressed data center debate at county level. Said September 10, 2026.

Coalition demands state and local policies prioritizing health, safety, welfare of Kansas communities with guardrails on water, energy, air, land, transportation, health. Said September 10, 2026.

International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers strongly supports data centers because they require large numbers of electricians. Said September 10, 2026.

Walter Mugdan, former EPA deputy regional administrator, said public involvement in pollution decision making matters and government should open doors not close them. Said September 10, 2026.

resident (Covington, LA)

Matt Hardey warns that electric bills could double if generating plants become stranded assets after 15 year data center contracts end. Said September 10, 2026.

Dr. Lynn Goldman, former EPA assistant administrator, said data center pollution poses health risks and EPA is weakening safeguards. Said September 10, 2026.

Louisiana state

Project must fully fund its own power generation and grid infrastructure costs. Said September 10, 2026.

Republican gubernatorial candidate

Republican Mike Minogue challenging Healey for governorship criticized her data center stance. Said September 10, 2026.

Louisa Conklin, Frederick County Council member, stated data center developers have legal avenues to protect themselves from council oversight and that water protection is a community priority. Said September 10, 2026.

2026 Democratic U.S. Senate candidate for Michigan

El Sayed calls for state and local moratorium on data centers until conditions are met. Said September 10, 2026.

U.S. Representative and Republican gubernatorial nominee

U.S. Rep. John James, Republican gubernatorial nominee, called for moratorium on new data centers until plan to protect people is in place, including environmental protections and ensuring electricity bills do not go up. Said September 10, 2026.

Jean Hardy, Michigan State University Associate Professor with the Department of Media and Information, said a data center proposal to Ionia, if it came, would be many years out and is unlikely. Said September 10, 2026.

Ypsilanti-area residents

Residents spoke against a proposed University of Michigan data and research center during a town hall meeting. Said September 10, 2026.

Consumers Energy representatives stated that data centers would not automatically increase electricity rates for nearby residents, as utility rates are subject to state regulatory approval. Said September 10, 2026.

Environmental Protection Network issued AI data center report detailing Trump administration actions that could increase pollution related health risks. Said September 10, 2026.

Michigan State University Associate Professor

Jean Hardy noted that Ionia has existing water capacity, including infrastructure from the former correctional facility, which could potentially be repurposed for a data center if one came to the area. Said September 10, 2026.

University of Michigan vice president for Government Relations

Chris Kolb, the U of M vice president for Government Relations, said the university is working with the local community. Said September 10, 2026.

University of Michigan interim vice president for Research and Innovation

Patricia Hurn, U of M interim vice president for Research and Innovation, spoke about the project. Said September 10, 2026.

2026 Democratic U.S. Senate candidate for Michigan

Abdul El Sayed states his conditions for University of Michigan data center: all union labor, no utility rate increases, no water use, revenue investment in reliability, and community benefits agreement. Said September 10, 2026.

Andrea Zupancich, Republican candidate for Minnesota state Senate

Grant Hauschild as part of Senate Tax Committee greenlit bills giving tax breaks to data centers. Said September 10, 2026.

U.S. Senator

Amy Klobuchar stated she would require any data center project to cover 100 percent of energy and grid costs. Said September 10, 2026.

Jobs for Minnesotans executive

Jobs for Minnesotans supports local data center development and trusts Minnesota's strict policies protecting environment, water quality, and energy generation. Said September 10, 2026.

Minnesota House Speaker

Lisa Demuth, House Speaker, negotiated bipartisan legislation that passed protecting Minnesotans' energy bills and putting data centers on the same playing field as other businesses for energy costs. Said September 10, 2026.

Republican candidate for Minnesota state Senate

Jobs for Minnesotans nonprofit board member Andrea Zupancich opposes tax breaks for data centers while running for state Senate against Grant Hauschild who supports them. Said September 10, 2026.

State Representative

Rep. Jeff Myers represents District 42, which includes Montgomery and Warren Counties, where a large data center is being built. Said September 10, 2026.

Nick Kasoff, Ferguson councilmember, said the plan would freeze the assessed value of the former Emerson campus at its 2024 assessment rate with a 75 percent tax abatement for the first 10 years. Said September 10, 2026.

Adrian Shropshire, Ferguson mayor, opposed the data center proposal and plans to vote against it. Said September 10, 2026.

NorthWestern Energy said it is in conversation with at least 11 data center developers. Said September 10, 2026.

NorthWestern Energy associate general counsel Mike Green stated that preventing any cost shifting is not realistic. Said September 10, 2026.

company officials

Applied Digital held a town hall meeting on its Harwood data center in August 2025 after construction plans were finished. Said September 10, 2026.

Councilor Phil Jones cited concerns about noise, energy and water use, diesel generators, property values and infrastructure for large scale commercial data center facilities. Said September 10, 2026.

RMI

The report outlined how data centers and other large electricity customers could help finance and scale distributed capacity. Said September 10, 2026.

RMI published a report in November 2025 making the case that off site demand flexibility, energy efficiency, and distributed generation can help meet rapidly growing data center electricity demand. Said September 10, 2026.

RMI

Since the report's publication, new laws, commission decisions, and utility proposals have begun creating pathways for large customers to fund distributed capacity. Said September 10, 2026.

Critics say the risk to local power bills isn't worth it. Said September 10, 2026.

Clark County Education Association

CCEA estimates their proposal could bring $2 billion in local schools support tax to the state pupil centered funding formula in four years. Said September 10, 2026.

Dina Neal is a Nevada state senator. Said September 10, 2026.

John Vellardita, Clark County Education Association Executive Director

Clark County Education Association proposes requiring data centers to pay Local School Support Tax, a 2.6 percent tax on retail sales. Said September 10, 2026.

Attorney General Aaron Ford said he supports a pause on data center tax abatements if elected. Said September 10, 2026.

Clark County Education Association

New or expanding data centers receive a 75 percent abatement on personal property tax and pay a reduced sales and use tax rate of 2 percent for 10 to 20 years. Said September 10, 2026.

Interior Board of Land Appeals judge

Judge David Gunter found appellants likely to prevail requiring Bureau of Land Management to provide new environmental studies and public input before project can proceed. Said September 10, 2026.

John Vellardita, Clark County Education Association Executive Director

Data centers receive property tax breaks up to 75 percent for 10 or 20 years, contingent on retaining 10 or 50 full time employees. Said September 10, 2026.

Gov. Joe Lombardo is supportive of data centers and says state has safeguards in place. Said September 10, 2026.

State Sen. Dina Neal requested drafting bill to end tax abatements and implement moratorium on data centers. Said September 10, 2026.

Geneva Zoltek, climate reporter

Nevada experiencing data center boom with massive power demand. Said September 10, 2026.

Clark County Education Association

CCEA proposes ending abatement of local schools support tax for data centers. Said September 10, 2026.

CCEA Executive Director

John Vellardita says there are seven to nine new data centers planned to open in Nevada. Said September 10, 2026.

James Rogan, former U.S. diplomat

Author states that electricity prices remain highest in states that mandated green transitions without adequate baseload power. Said September 10, 2026.

Microsoft executives

Microsoft temporarily paused select data center developments around early 2025 due to concerns about overbuilding. Said September 10, 2026.

U.S. Senator

Bernie Moreno plans to introduce federal legislation aimed at eliminating the financial benefit of state and local tax incentives for data centers. Said September 10, 2026.

U.S. Senator

Moreno proposes imposing a federal tax equal to 100% of any tax incentive provided to a data center by a state or local government. Said September 10, 2026.

State Rep.

Rader raised concern about private equity owning both data centers and power companies serving the same grid. Said September 10, 2026.

Ohio Democratic Party held rally in Bowling Green to denounce Jon Husted for bringing hundreds of data centers to Ohio. Said September 10, 2026.

U.S. Senator

Moreno criticized a 4.5 million dollar Ohio tax incentive connected to a data center expansion backed by the Carlyle Group in March 2026, arguing the project was expected to create only 10 new jobs. Said September 10, 2026.

U.S. Senator

Jon Husted introduced the Ratepayer Protection Act in July 2026, requiring states to consider standards for connecting large electricity users, including data centers, to the electric grid. Said September 10, 2026.

Ohio State Representative

Daniel Troy stated Ohio is a national leader in both operational data centers and tax breaks offered to these facilities. Said September 10, 2026.

Wood County auditor candidate

Mark Wongrowski said Meta data center north of Bowling Green in Middleton Township required 75 percent tax abatement for 15 years. Said September 10, 2026.

Cleveland Councilman Ward 15

Ward 15 Cleveland Councilman Charles Slife proposed updating the city's zoning code to prevent data center workarounds. Said September 10, 2026.

State Rep. Tristan Rader warned Ohioans about unrestricted data center growth and conflict of interest concerns. Said September 10, 2026.

Mark Wongrowski, Wood County auditor candidate

Ohio electricity bills have gone up double the national average. Said September 10, 2026.

Beth Cole, Middleton Township resident

Meta data center footprint is now 5 percent of Middleton Township. Said September 10, 2026.

Ohio State Representative

Democratic Rep. Tristan Rader proposes repealing the sales tax exemption and renegotiating past deals with Amazon, Meta and Google. Said September 10, 2026.

Courtney Lee, senior manager for state and local policy, Amazon Web Services

Amazon representative said Amazon data center uses less water than local agriculture industry. Said September 10, 2026.

Courtney Lee, senior manager for state and local policy, Amazon Web Services

Amazon representative said company runs diesel generators about 12 hours per year for testing and maintenance. Said September 10, 2026.

Jim Doherty, former Morrow County Commissioner, said opposition to data centers is a unifying moment between rural and urban Oregon. Said September 10, 2026.

Chair, Morrow County Board of Commissioners

David Sykes, chair of the Morrow County Board of Commissioners, said decisions over data centers on private property are up to local government. Said September 10, 2026.

Sean Trende, American Enterprise Institute

Republicans oppose data centers with a bare majority opposed and just 29 percent strongly opposed. Said September 10, 2026.

Sean Trende, American Enterprise Institute

By July 2026, support for data centers in or near community was down to 22 percent, opposition was up to 57 percent. Said September 10, 2026.

Sean Trende, American Enterprise Institute

In December 2025, 34 percent of Pennsylvanians supported data centers in or near their community, 42 percent opposed, and 24 percent had no strong opinion. Said September 10, 2026.

Sean Trende, American Enterprise Institute

Democrats oppose data centers more than other groups, with 71 percent opposed and more than half strongly opposed. Said September 10, 2026.

Democratic candidate

Bob Harvie called for a data center moratorium in his campaign. Said September 10, 2026.

Sean Trende, American Enterprise Institute

In Pennsylvania 7th Congressional District, opposition to data centers runs 74 percent to 14 percent support. Said September 10, 2026.

Harvie previously supported tax break for Amazon data center in Falls Township during Bucks County Commissioners vote in December 2020. Said September 10, 2026.

Southern Environmental Law Center advocated for a pause on data centers and raised concerns about a data center currently under construction on South Pine Street. Said September 10, 2026.

Sarah Knox, director of external affairs for NorthMark Strategies

NorthMark is complying with state laws and is still waiting on an air permit to operate and hopes to receive it by the end of the year. Said September 10, 2026.

Lee Zeldin, EPA director, said making the United States the artificial intelligence capital of the world is the agency's top priority. Said September 10, 2026.

Matt Krause, Tarrant County Commissioner

A planned data center in Westlake was discussed at the town hall. Said September 10, 2026.

Kate Franko, Fluidstack head of public affairs

Fluidstack will pay full local property taxes without requesting tax abatements or county incentives. Said September 10, 2026.

Kate Franko, Fluidstack head of public affairs

Fluidstack will pay for its own energy and infrastructure. Said September 10, 2026.

Tarrant County Commissioner

Krause said the state could develop a legislative agenda for data centers for the 2027 session. Said September 10, 2026.

Susanne DeHart, Pulaski County citizen

Tax rate for the data center facility is unknown but guaranteed not the same as citizens of Pulaski County who will have property reassessed in 2027. Said September 10, 2026.

Suhas Subramanyam, U.S. Representative

The Data Infrastructure Risk Reduction Act would require development of a strategy to protect communities near data centers from national security threats. Said September 10, 2026.

Suhas Subramanyam, U.S. Representative

Data Center Fair Share Act requires data centers and other large energy users to pay the full cost of grid and generation upgrades needed to serve them. Said September 10, 2026.

Suhas Subramanyam, U.S. Representative

The Data Center Fair Share Act would require states to establish utility rates to make data centers pay full incremental grid upgrade costs, with loss of federal highway funding as penalty for non compliance. Said September 10, 2026.

U.S. Representative (Virginia's 10th district)

U.S. Rep. Suhas Subramanyam announced a four bill National Data Center Plan to establish national standards for data center siting, utility rates, energy and water measurement, and infrastructure security. Said September 10, 2026.

David Aldrich and Chris Miller

Each transmission line corridor has a minimum 300 foot wide right of way affecting rural and suburban communities. Said September 10, 2026.

David Aldrich and Chris Miller

Data centers require thousands of miles of new transmission lines, hundreds of new substations, and dozens of new power plants. Said September 10, 2026.

Suhas Subramanyam, U.S. Representative

The Data Infrastructure Energy Measurement and Standards Act would direct NIST to develop standards for measuring data center energy and water consumption. Said September 10, 2026.

David Aldrich and Chris Miller

Virginia needs to immediately pause all data center contracts for interconnections to the power grid until a plan addresses six critical issues. Said September 10, 2026.

David Aldrich and Chris Miller

If 85 GW of data center capacity were built out, Virginia's current power grid would quadruple in size. Said September 10, 2026.

U.S. Representative

Rep. Subramanyam introduced bills directing government agencies to create official standards for measuring data center energy and water use. Said September 10, 2026.

Suhas Subramanyam, U.S. Representative

Residents report utility bills doubling due to data center infrastructure demands. Said September 10, 2026.

Suhas Subramanyam, U.S. Representative

The Responsible Data Center Siting Act would direct the U.S. Department of Energy to establish best practices for data center siting considering electricity, water, environment, noise, security, workforce and tax revenue. Said September 10, 2026.

Suhas Subramanyam, U.S. Representative

Four bills include Responsible Data Center Siting Act, Data Center Fair Share Act, Data Infrastructure Energy Measurement and Standards Act, and Data Infrastructure Risk Reduction Act. Said September 10, 2026.

Anirban Basu, chief economist at Associated Builders and Contractors

Data center related construction activity was byproduct of nonresidential specialty trade employment growth. Said September 10, 2026.

Alliant Energy President of Wisconsin operations

Becky Valcq, President of Alliant Energy's Wisconsin electric company and Vice President of Energy Delivery, spoke at an educational session about data centers. Said September 10, 2026.

Governor

Gov. Patrick Morrisey highlights economic development with hyperscale data centers. Said September 10, 2026.

Eric Schlidt, Prometheus Build Wyoming director

Prometheus is asking commissioners to bypass the state industrial siting review to speed up build time. Said September 10, 2026.

vice president of policy, Rewiring America

Kristin Eberhard, vice president of policy with Rewiring America, said the concern is not just knee jerk resistance to growth but opposition to communities absorbing costs while others get benefits. Said September 10, 2026.