The
DATA CENTER COMMUNITY
EMPOWERMENT ACT
of 2026
Emerging technologies that Americans increasingly rely on every day-from artificial
intelligence to cloud computing-depend on data centers and the infrastructure that
supports them. As demand for these technologies grows, communities across the
country will face decisions about whether and how to accommodate new data center
development. Data centers can bring new investment and economic opportunities, but
they can also place new demands on local infrastructure. Communities deserve clear,
reliable, and objective information about these benefits and trade-offs so local leaders
can make informed decisions about what is right for their communities.
The Data Center Community Empowerment Act of 2026 would give
communities access to technical expertise to better understand the potential benefits,
costs, and infrastructure impacts of proposed data center development-while leaving
decisions about whether and how to accommodate that development in the hands of
local communities.
The bill would establish a program at the Department of Energy (DOE) to:
• Provide technical assistance to State, local, and Tribal governments on the potential
energy, water, infrastructure, economic, and other community impacts associated
with data center development;
• Develop a Data Center Community Toolkit with easy-to-understand information and
resources specifically designed for nontechnical local officials;
• Provide independent project analysis at a community's request, including an
assessment of information voluntarily provided by a data center developer and the
reliability of its data and reasonableness of its assumptions, projections, and
conclusions; and
• Preserve local decision-making by requiring DOE to remain neutral on individual
data center projects and prohibiting the Department from recommending whether a
particular project should be approved or rejected.
U.S. Senators John Curtis (R-UT) and Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE)
