A Republican bill with 1 Democratic cosponsor · See the cosponsor
Last activity — Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
In committee
Introduced and handed to a committee in the chamber it started in.
The committee holds it, and most bills are never heard from again. A hearing or a committee vote would be news; silence is the usual outcome, and it kills the bill without anyone voting against it.
Its path through Congress
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
This bill requires the Secretary of Energy to create a Data Center Community Assistance Program within 180 days. Under this program, the Secretary will provide State, local, and Tribal governments with objective information and technical assistance on the impacts of data center development. The Secretary must also develop a publicly accessible Data Center Community Toolkit written in plain English for nontechnical local officials. Additionally, upon request, the Secretary may independently assess project materials provided voluntarily by data center developers. The Secretary must remain neutral and cannot make recommendations on whether to approve or reject a data center. Nothing in the bill authorizes the Secretary to approve, disapprove, or delay a government's decision on data center siting.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
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Under section 2(b)(1), the Secretary of Energy is required to provide State, local, and Tribal governments with objective and technically sound information, resources, and technical assistance regarding potential energy, water, infrastructure, and economic impacts of data centers. This helps communities understand what they are facing when a data center wants to build in their area.
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Under section 2(c), the Secretary must develop a publicly accessible Data Center Community Toolkit written in plain English for nontechnical local officials. This ensures that everyday local leaders can easily understand complex terms, utility rate structures, and the benefits and tradeoffs of hosting a data center.
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Under section 2(d), the Secretary can independently assess project information and materials provided by data center developers to evaluate the reasonableness of assumptions, data reliability, and technical conclusions. This gives local governments expert backing to check if a developer's claims actually add up.
Potential Negative Impacts for People
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Under section 2(e), the Secretary is explicitly prohibited from making any recommendation to a State, local, or Tribal government regarding whether a particular data center should be approved, rejected, permitted, or authorized. This means the federal government will not step in to tell local officials the final call they should make on a project.
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Under section 2(d)(1)(A), the Secretary must rely on data center developers to voluntarily provide information, data, and analyses for independent project analysis. Because submission by the developers is voluntary, the Secretary might not always receive the necessary details to perform a complete assessment.
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Tap or hover a score for the reason it gave.
No significant interests or groups are affected by this bill.
- 9/30/2026
- Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- Introduced in Senate
Lisa Blunt RochesterDemocrat · Delaware