What was said about data centers in Kentucky
48 statements from 27 speakers, grouped by who spoke. Each appears as said, with the date and the source. No verdict is attached.
From June 1, 2026 to October 2, 2026. Statements from every state are on Statements.
Government 14
Officials in office, lawmakers, regulators, public agencies and courts, federal, state, tribal and local. Every state.
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Kentucky State Representative
State Rep. Adam Moore said lawmakers are seeking more information and public input to work on legislation to regulate data centers.
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Joe Covington, Scott County Judge-Executive
County officials decided against an outright ban on data centers, instead pursuing clear regulatory rules with zoning requirements placing data centers in heavy industrial zones and requiring conditional permits.
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Eric King statement on Kentucky data center positioning
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Woodford County Judge Executive James Kay said the decision came after listening to the community wanting to protect their homes
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Executive Director, Kentucky Energy Planning and Inventory Commission
Eric King said Kentucky should preserve and modernize viable coal units and add generation without subtracting dependable capacity
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Executive Director, Kentucky Energy Planning and Inventory Commission
Eric King said the governing principle is that the customer causing a cost should bear it, with tariffs and contracts requiring meaningful application fees and upfront infrastructure payments
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District 3 Council Member Shameka Parrish Wright agreed with Hawkins in opposing data center development
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District 1 Council Member Tammy Hawkins expressed concerns about the potential environmental and health impacts of data centers, particularly for her West End constituents where a hyperscale data center is already being built
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Governor of Kentucky
Governor Andy Beshear said that if data centers are going to locate in Kentucky, the area is going to choose to want them
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Governor of Kentucky
Gov. Andy Beshear stated he does not believe data centers need incentives and would support rolling back any incentives
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Burgin school board member
Mercer County city of Burgin considering data center that could bring hundreds of millions in local taxes over 15 years
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executive director of Kentucky Association of School Superintendents
Jim Flynn of Kentucky Association of School Superintendents says group supports lawmakers clarifying whether data centers qualify for manufacturer tax breaks
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Kentucky House Speaker
House Speaker David Osborne said Kentucky should evaluate whether incentives deliver a return for taxpayers
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Kentucky governor
Beshear said that any data center in Kentucky would have to pay for all of its own power
Candidates and campaigns 8
People running for office, their campaigns and their parties. A candidate who does not hold the office is not an official. Every state.
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Democratic U.S. Senate candidate from Kentucky
Charles Booker, Democratic Senate candidate, said he was calling for a moratorium on data centers and feels much more urgency now, citing concerns from AI experts that regulations are needed.
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U.S. Representative and Republican Senate candidate from Kentucky
Andy Barr, U.S. Representative and Republican Senate candidate, said Andy Barr wants local communities to decide the fate of data centers, not D.C. politicians.
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Zach Dembo campaign
Dembo's opponent Alvarado holds up to $315,000 in stocks of data center developer companies while supporting a bill giving tax breaks to those companies.
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congressional candidate
Dembo proposed legislation requiring transparency and local input on data centers, holding companies accountable for environmental impact, and preventing cost offloading to consumers.
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Zach Dembo, congressional candidate, called for stronger regulations on data centers to prevent cost shifting to consumers, protect water and land, and ensure local community input.
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Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate from Kentucky
Democratic candidate Charles Booker supports a moratorium on data center development in Kentucky
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Representative, Republican nominee for U.S. Senate from Kentucky
Rep. Andy Barr supports local control of data center projects and says data centers can bring construction jobs and tax revenues to communities
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Representative, Republican nominee for U.S. Senate from Kentucky
Barr says data centers could lower electricity rates if they bring their own power
Business groups and unions 5
Chambers of commerce, trade associations and labor unions. Every state.
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International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers
Union is fourth largest donor to Governor Beshear's PAC since its creation after 2023 reelection
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International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers strongly supports data centers because they require the employment of large numbers of electricians.
Advocates and residents 4
Advocacy and community groups on every side, residents, neighbors and people speaking at public meetings. Every state.
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Hopkinsville resident
Jackie Lincoln expressed concerns about data center electricity and water use, noise, and impact on future generations
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Burgin residents
More than 100 residents attended Burgin city council meeting with concerns about noise, water contamination, road deterioration, and tax increases related to data center project.
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Kentucky residents (unnamed)
Residents in Kentucky are calling for more transparency from developers and their own public officials regarding proposed data centers
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Kentucky farmers (unnamed)
Kentucky farmers rejected a $26 million offer from data center developers.
Researchers and analysts 8
Universities, research institutes, think tanks, pollsters, economists and consultants. Every state.
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coal industry executive and University of Kentucky donor
Joe Craft, coal industry executive and UK donor, says data centers will bring thousands of jobs to Kentucky and that state will need 30 to 40 percent more energy
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Joseph Verruni, Bluegrass Institute
Georgia Power will cut household power bills by 180 dollars annually starting in 2029
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Joseph Verruni, Bluegrass Institute
Loudoun County property tax rates have dropped by 40 percent
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Joseph Verruni, Bluegrass Institute
PG&E cut rates four times over the past two years by 11 percent total
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Joseph Verruni, Bluegrass Institute
Indiana Michigan Power proposed a 5 percent annual reduction in rates
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Pam Thomas, Kentucky Center for Economic Policy
Kentucky state law includes exemption for manufacturing facilities using large amounts of energy from sales tax on energy expenses exceeding 3 percent of gross production costs
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executive director of Kentucky Center for Economic Policy
Jason Bailey of Kentucky Center for Economic Policy warns that data centers could exploit manufacturing tax exemptions under state law to avoid local property taxes and utility excise taxes
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Kentucky Center for Economic Policy found that legislature's data center incentives could cost the state billions of dollars
Other voices 9
Journalists, lawyers, former officials, and speakers the source describes in words that name none of the groups above. Every state.
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Representative, D-Lexington
Rep. Adam Moore, D Lexington, organized the listening session.
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Representative (Lexington)
Representative Adam Moore said he would like to see sales tax credits for data centers revoked
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Representative (Lexington)
Moore said Kentucky needs to put up guardrails like ratepayer protection so regular people do not end up paying for the power demands of data centers
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WUKY reporting from public records
The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers gave $206,000 to Gov. Beshear's PAC In This Together since his reelection in 2023, making it the fourth largest donor.
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Mark Sommer tax attorney argues in blog posts that data centers qualify as manufacturers under Kentucky law for tax break purposes
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Kentucky Lantern editorial
Data centers bring fewer permanent jobs than industrial facilities they replace
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Kentucky Lantern editorial
A new aluminum smelter planned for Kentucky went to Oklahoma instead because Oklahoma had better clean energy infrastructure
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Kentucky Lantern editorial
Survey by Industrious Labs in Kentucky found majority of respondents wanted a new smelter over a new data center
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Kentucky Lantern editorial
Data centers compete for electricity with aluminum smelters at massive scale
The group comes from the words the source gives for the speaker; how the groups are read. Every statement on the record is in CSV and JSON, with its group and its state.
