August 3, 2026
Mr. Khanna submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that every American and community impacted by the construction or operation of an artificial intelligence data center should have the right to transparency and local autonomy.
Whereas more than 4,400 registered data centers operate across the United States and at least one facility is located in every State;
Whereas some data center developers have used nondisclosure agreements and shell companies to hide ownership, water use, electricity demand, tax incentives, and other public costs;
Whereas artificial intelligence data centers could use up to 32,000,000,000 gallons of water each year by 2028 and many new facilities are located in water-stressed regions;
Whereas diesel generators, gas turbines, cooling systems, and other data center equipment can release harmful air pollutants and create persistent noise, increasing the risk of asthma, heart disease, sleep disruption, and other health harms in nearby communities; and
Whereas data center construction may create hundreds of well-paying jobs but even the largest facilities often employ fewer than 150 permanent workers: Now, therefore, be it
That the House of Representatives should enact the Data Center Bill of Rights to establish that every American and community impacted by the construction or operation of an artificial intelligence data center should have the right to oppose them, including the right to—
(1)
ban data centers in residential areas and within 2,500 feet of homes, schools, childcare facilities, hospitals or nursing homes;
(2)
reject any proposed data center through a transparent community process;
(3)
preserve the authority of counties and municipalities to prohibit or regulate data center development without being preempted or overruled by the State;
(4)
adopt statewide pauses on new data centers until the State passes real protections that stop ratepayers from seeing higher electricity bills, prevent the draining of local water supplies, and give communities a genuine say over what gets built in their backyard;
(5)
demand no increase in electricity rates or fees for households or small businesses;
(6)
require every data center to use clean and reliable energy while meeting strict limits on noise and air pollution;
(7)
receive, before project approval, an independent and publicly available impact report assessing the data center’s effects on electricity demand, utility bills, public health, noise and air pollution, price of consumer goods, rents, and housing availability, as well as a complete accounting of the number and types of jobs the project is expected to create and economic impact to the community over 10 years;
(8)
require enforceable community benefit agreements that support affordable housing, neighborhood improvements, water and infrastructure upgrades, public computing resources, local venture capital, workforce training and permanent technology jobs;
(9)
require data center operators to disclose projected water consumption to local water providers and obtain a written compatibility determination before approval and submit semiannual water usage reports for public review; and
(10)
require data center owners, operators, and developers to pay their fair share of State and local taxes and ensure that any tax exemption or public subsidy includes strong labor standards, full transparency, and clawback provisions when those conditions are not met.