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119-s-5645119th Congress

Data Center Community Empowerment Act of 2026

Sponsored By: Senator Curtis, John R. [R-UT]

Introduced

Summary

Provides neutral technical help and plain-English tools to State, local, and Tribal governments so they can evaluate how proposed data centers affect energy, water, infrastructure, and local economies.

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  • Would create a Data Center Community Assistance Program and require a public, nontechnical toolkit within 180 days to help local officials ask the right questions and understand electricity, water, cooling, and cost issues.
  • Would give governments objective analyses on projected peak and annual electricity demand, transmission and distribution needs and costs, projected water withdrawals and cooling options, expected construction and permanent jobs, and anticipated local tax impacts.
  • At a government's request, DOE could compel voluntary disclosure from developers and utilities and independently assess the reasonableness of models, assumptions, and projections.
  • Requires DOE to identify material assumptions and uncertainties in any analysis and bars the agency from recommending whether a specific data center should be approved or denied, while preserving DOE's ability to provide grants, loans, or loan guarantees under other law.

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Bill Overview

Analyzed Economic Effects

1 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.

Help for communities considering data centers

If enacted, the bill would require the Energy Secretary to set up a Data Center Community Assistance Program within 180 days. The program would give State, local, and Tribal governments plain-English information and technical help. Help would cover electricity demand and costs, needed grid upgrades, water use and sources, cooling and backup power, jobs, tax revenues, and public incentives. The Secretary would publish a public Data Center Community Toolkit for nontechnical local officials. At a government's request, the Secretary could ask a developer to voluntarily share project materials and could independently assess them, but the Secretary would not recommend whether a project should be approved or take part in local siting decisions. The bill would also clarify that the Secretary keeps existing authority to provide grants, loans, or loan guarantees under other laws, but it would not itself appropriate money.

Sponsors & CoSponsors

Sponsor

Curtis, John R. [R-UT]

UT • R

Cosponsors

  • Sen. Blunt Rochester, Lisa [D-DE]

    DE • D

    Sponsored 9/30/2026

Roll Call Votes

No roll call votes available for this bill.

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