Responsible Data Center Development

Data centers are expanding rapidly across the country. The industry is under-regulated and accelerating at a speed, scale, and concentration that is impacting energy systems, water supplies, air quality, community health, land use, and public finances. State and local policymakers are at the forefront of this expansion, uniquely positioned to guide it in ways that reflect local priorities and community needs, especially in the absence of federal guidelines. Their decisions now will shape the industry’s future. Insisting on transparency, imposing baseline protections for communities and the environment, and incentivizing clean, efficient, and community-safe data centers will allow leaders to manage data center development while still prioritizing affordability, sustainable resource use, energy reliability, public health, and the climate.