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Policy intelligence brief

IF13306 — Congressional Authority to Regulate Data Centers

Data centers are facilities that house computer systems for managing and transmitting digital information. They are integral components in the development and use of artificial intelligence (AI), and large-scale investment in AI has led to rapid buildout of “hyperscale” data centers that consume large amounts of electricity and water. Concerns about those resource impacts, and related financial impacts on ratepayers, have sparked opposition to data center development and prompted calls for increased regulation, in…

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Legal stateResearch or guidanceContext or guidance does not establish a generally applicable legal requirement.
JurisdictionUnited StatesFederal-source record
Latest recorded action2026-09-10Updated by the Congressional Research Service
Primary sourceCRSOriginal public record linked

What the evidence says

Key findings

01
How it operates

Community participation · Grid & interconnection · Moratorium · Siting & permitting · Tax incentive / clawback · Utility rate / large-load tariff · Water standard

Gives affected residents a formal voice — hearings, comment periods, or benefit agreements — before or as a project proceeds. Determines whether and how fast a data center can actually get power, and who builds and pays for the transmission upgrades. Check whether the policy creates, changes, or removes a development pause or prohibition, and which facilities and approvals it covers. Sets where and how a data center can be built, and which authority and reviews can accelerate or block a project. Lowers the public cost of building a data center, and can attach conditions or clawbacks that recover the benefit if commitments are not met. Changes who pays for the grid — shifting the cost of new power supply and upgrades toward large data-center loads instead of ordinary ratepayers. Measures or limits how much water a data center draws for cooling, and how local scarcity is weighed in approvals.

Comparable precedents

Related approaches worth comparing

Selected by shared tracked mechanisms or themes, with cross jurisdiction examples prioritized. Similarity is not legal equivalence.

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Relationship depth
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Relationship map

IF13306 evidence graph

Congressional Authority to Regulate Data Centers

12 nodes · 11 evidenced edges
Policy record 1Policy theme 5Policy mechanism 2Documented actor 1Policy family 1Jurisdiction 1Original source 1
explicitly concerns: Theme named in the title or stored summaryexplicitly concerns: Theme named in the title or stored summaryexplicitly concerns: Theme named in the title or stored summaryexplicitly concerns: Theme named in the title or stored summaryexplicitly concerns: Theme named in the title or stored summarysignals mechanism: Mechanism signal derived from the tracked record textsignals mechanism: Mechanism signal derived from the tracked record textapplies in: Jurisdiction recorded for this source typedocumented by: Original source URL stored with the policy recordpublished by: Publishing organization named in the tracked public recordmember of family: standalonePolicy recordIF13306Congressional Authority to …IF13306: Congressional Authority to Regulate Data CentersPolicy themeEnergyExplicit record textEnergy: Explicit record textPolicy themeWaterExplicit record textWater: Explicit record textPolicy themeCertification & Standa…Explicit record textCertification & Standards: Explicit record textPolicy themeSiting & Land UseExplicit record textSiting & Land Use: Explicit record textPolicy themeRatepayerExplicit record textRatepayer: Explicit record textPolicy mechanismCommunity participationText-derived policy signalCommunity participation: Text-derived policy signalPolicy mechanismGrid & interconnectionText-derived policy signalGrid & interconnection: Text-derived policy signalJurisdictionUnited StatesFederal policy jurisdictionUnited States: Federal policy jurisdictionOriginal sourceCRSOriginal public sourceCRS: Original public sourceDocumented actorCongressional Research…organizationCongressional Research Service: organizationPolicy familyCongressional Authorit…Policy familyCongressional Authority to Regulate Data Centers: Policy family

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Inspectable edges

Relationship receipts

Each edge states what was observed and why it appears. An edge never implies private influence, support, opposition, or causation.