Some of Capitol Hill’s left-wing lawmakers have seized on mounting opposition to data centers and introduced a bill that would place a moratorium on their expansion “to ensure the safety of humanity.”
Sen. Bernard Sanders, Vermont independent, and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, New York Democrat, two of the most socialist-leaning members of Congress, introduced legislation that would pause construction of data centers until “strong national safeguards are in place” to protect workers from losing their jobs to artificial intelligence technology, ensure privacy rights are protected and address the risk of environmental harm.
“A moratorium will give us time — time to understand the risks, time to protect working families, time to defend our democracy and time to make sure this technology works for all of us, not just the very few,” Mr. Sanders said during a press conference announcing the legislation.
Although the bill hasn’t attracted many co-sponsors, it taps into growing opposition from environmental groups and communities fighting data centers and the AI technology they fuel. Critics say the data centers will automate much of the global economy and eventually kill thousands of jobs.
In addition to high electric bills and fewer jobs, AI poses significant threats to young people who become addicted to it as it slowly takes over society, Mr. Sanders said.
“People who know more about it than anybody else in the world are telling us that within a few years it is likely that AI will be smarter than human beings, that human beings may lose control over AI with possibly catastrophic impacts,” said Mr. Sanders, a democratic socialist. “We need a sense of urgency to address these issues.”
Goldman Sachs researchers said the construction of data centers capable of supporting advanced AI has tripled over the past three years.
Along with it has come a massive increase in power demand, which is expected to rise 165% by 2030.
Although the data centers provoke opposition, much of what they do is popular. The sprawling, humming facilities keep the internet running and have become some of the most critical infrastructure of the modern age. They serve as the backbone of America’s digital economy, housing the servers, storage systems and networking hardware that power cloud computing, AI development and the internet services that millions of businesses and consumers rely on each day.
New data centers promise increased productivity, medical innovations, and other societal and scientific advancements.
Neighbors are fed up with the noise and higher electricity bills required to power the technology, and some communities with data centers in the planning books are trying to block them.
Virginia, ranked as the world’s top data center market, has been at the forefront of the backlash.
In Loudoun County, home to 200 data centers with 100 more in the works, residents in one neighborhood complained last month about round-the-clock humming, akin to a hovering helicopter, emanating from one of several CloudHQ data centers in the area. A local news outlet, News4, measured the sound at 90 decibels, a level that requires ear protection after sustained exposure.
In 2023, the regular complaints prompted the county to require each new data center to obtain approval from the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors.
Loudoun is also grappling with residents protesting proposed high-voltage power lines needed to power the county’s many data centers.
In neighboring Warrenton, Virginia, infuriated residents voted out the Town Council in 2024 after it supported a proposed Amazon data center.
Dozens of community groups across the country are challenging the construction of data centers. According to Data Center Watch, community opposition has blocked or delayed $64 billion in data center construction.
The backlash is in stark opposition to the Trump administration, which has placed AI development and data centers at the forefront of the president’s agenda.
Mr. Trump opposes individual state and local laws regulating AI and supports strengthening AI infrastructure, including accelerating permitting for data centers. Still, the states are largely ignoring him and implementing more regulations that limit data centers.
The Virginia General Assembly passed legislation this year requiring new data center applicants seeking to build outside industrial areas to study the sound impact on residential communities and schools, as well as on ground and surface water resources, agriculture, parks, historic sites and forestland.
In Phoenix, another top data center location, the government has updated zoning laws limiting data center construction to protect property owners from noise and fire risks and to preserve the stability of the energy grid.
In New York, state Sens. Liz Krueger and Kristen Gonzalez introduced a bill to impose a three-year moratorium on the most energy-hungry data centers. Denver Mayor Mike Johnston implemented a yearlong moratorium on new data centers to allow the city to study the impact and review zoning regulations.
“More than 100 local communities across 12 states have already enacted local moratoriums on data centers, and Congress itself has a moral obligation to stand with them and stop Big Tech from ruining their communities,” said Ms. Ocasio-Cortez.
Mr. Trump appeared to acknowledge the growing backlash. Last month, he announced a “national legislative framework” for data centers that includes ensuring ratepayers don’t foot the bill for increased power demand and protecting workers through skills training programs.
“The administration recognizes that some Americans feel uncertain about how this transformative technology will affect issues they care about, like their children’s well-being or their monthly electricity bill. These issues, along with other emerging AI policy considerations, require strong Federal leadership to ensure the public’s trust in how AI is developed and used in their daily lives,” White House officials said in a statement.
The backlash against data centers clashes with Mr. Trump’s commitment to ensuring the U.S. beats China in the AI race.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said recently that a data center moratorium would be akin to “a complete capitulation” to China.
Lawmakers from both parties in Congress side with the Trump administration.
Sen. Mark R. Warner, Virginia Democrat, told an AI Summit hosted by Axios that a moratorium “would be idiocy” and would allow China “to move quicker.”
Mr. Sanders brushed aside those concerns and said the Chinese are also worried about the advancement of AI.
U.S. officials should negotiate with the Chinese to work out joint limitations on artificial intelligence, he said.
“In a sane world, what happens is the leadership of the United States sits down with the leadership in China and leadership around the world to work together so that we don’t go over the edge and create a technology which could perhaps destroy humanity,” Mr. Sanders said.
• Susan Ferrechio can be reached at sferrechio@washingtontimes.com.
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