Data Center Community Impact Act

Study on data center community impacts

This bill would require the Secretary of Energy to conduct a government-wide study of data center impacts. The Secretary would work with the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Commerce. The Secretary would also coordinate with the Chair of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and the Council on Environmental Quality. The study would analyze water and energy use, including fossil-fuel generation and peak grid effects. It would also study air emissions (including backup diesel generators), cooling effects on wastewater, soil and land use, and effects on local agriculture. The study would examine job creation and displacement, state and local tax revenue and incentives, nearby home values, electricity rate impacts, and public health risks like pollution and heat islands. The Secretary would consult relevant local governments and Indian Tribes while conducting the study. Not later than 18 months after enactment, the Secretary would send Congress a report with findings, a map showing data centers relative to communities of color and low-income communities, recommendations for federal coordination to mitigate harms, and best-practice guidelines for States and local governments. The bill would also define key terms like community of color, low-income community, data center, local governmental entity, and Indian Tribe, and clarify that "State" includes DC and U.S. territories.