# 119-hr-9825: Data Center Water and Energy Transparency Act of 2026

119-hr-9825, Data Center Water and Energy Transparency Act of 2026, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Underwood, Lauren [D-IL-14] (D-IL); status introduced (as of 2026-08-15).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9825
- As of: 2026-08-15
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-9825
- Congress: 119
- Title: Data Center Water and Energy Transparency Act of 2026
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-07-22
- Sponsor: Rep. Underwood, Lauren [D-IL-14] (D-IL)
- Cosponsors: 1
- Policy area: Environmental Protection
- Touches household money: no
- Last recorded action: 2026-08-15

## Summary

**Requires large data centers to report energy and water use** to state agencies or, where a state has no program, to the Environmental Protection Agency and the Secretaries of Energy and Agriculture. The filings must include monthly energy and water totals, efficiency metrics, and 5-year projections with plans to reduce use. - Operators: Data centers with a peak on-site energy demand of at least 25 megawatts (MW) must file annual reports for each qualifying center that show monthly energy and water use, behind-the-meter generation methods, and annual averages of power usage effectiveness (PUE) and water usage effectiveness (WUE). Reports must include proposals and projections covering at least the next 5 years. - New builds and expansions: Prospective data centers or expansions projected to reach 25 MW must submit pre-construction reports with 5-year projected energy and water use and efficiency plans. If a State lacks a collection program, those reports go to the EPA and the Secretaries. - States, local governments, and the public: States collect reports, may charge fees to support collection, and must send anonymized, aggregated state-level data to federal agencies. The federal government must publish a public national report with regional aggregated use, environmental impacts, and best-practice recommendations while excluding proprietary information. - Enforcement and funding: Federal civil penalties for failing to report are $20,000 per day, adjusted for inflation every 3 years using the CPI-U. The Act authorizes fees on operators to fund administration and enforcement.

## Cosponsors (1)

- Rep. Vasquez, Gabe [D-NM-2] (D-NM), 2026-08-13T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Annual federal report on data center impacts: benefit, low. If enacted, the EPA and the Secretaries would publish one public annual report using state and federal submissions. The report would show aggregated energy and water use by region for the covered year, five-year aggregated projections, and regional effects on water and electricity rates and environ…
- Federal reporting and fines for data centers: cost, low. If enacted, data center operators in States without a collection program would file required annual and pre-construction reports with EPA and the Secretaries of Energy and Agriculture in the jointly required form. The agencies could charge fees on operators to cover federal collection and use the m…
- New state reporting for large data centers: mixed, low. If enacted, states that set collection programs would require any data center with a peak on-site demand of 25 megawatts or more to file an annual report starting within one year. Reports would show monthly on-site energy use (kWh), behind-the-meter generation methods, monthly water use and sources…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-7977: Energy Bills Relief Act
- 119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act
- 119-hr-2725: Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act of 2025
- 119-hr-7853: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026
- 119-hr-9821: Shared Values Act
- 119-hr-7333: Family Violence Prevention and Services Improvement Act of 2026

## Sources
- [119-hr-9825 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/9825)

## Related
- [119-hr-7977: Energy Bills Relief Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7977)
- [119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7973)
- [119-hr-2725: Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2725)
- [119-hr-7853: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7853)
- [119-hr-9821: Shared Values Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9821)
- [119-hr-7333: Family Violence Prevention and Services Improvement Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7333)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9825 (as of 2026-08-15).