Rep. Subramanyam Introduces National Data Center Plan

September 8, 2026 Press Release WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Representative Suhas Subramanyam (VA-10) introduced a National Data Center Plan. The Responsible Data Center Siting Act, the Data Center Fair Share Act, the Data Infrastructure Energy Measurement and Standards Act, and the Data Infrastructure Risk Reduction Act are four bills to guide data center development to ensure our communities are protected. The package requires data centers to pay for their own energy, evaluate the cumulative impacts on communities, the environment, and our national security before building data centers, accurately measure water and energy usage, and protect Americans living near data infrastructure. “Our region is home to the fourth largest concentration of data centers in the world, and many more are on the way. Because of this, our utility bills are up and transmission lines are cutting through our schools and backyards. People are concerned about the future of our community and angry about the impact this will have on noise, the environment, and their property. The approach to building data centers has been driven by short-term profit rather than long term planning. But it doesn’t have to be this way. We need a national plan that puts communities first rather than the current ad hoc approach. That's why I am pushing this legislation forward: to give Virginians and the American people a voice,” said Congressman Suhas Subramanyam. “Since its founding, in 2014, the Coalition to Protect Prince William County has been warning residents, elected leaders, and the SCC of the unprecedented power demands of the data center industry. Prince William County residents are already paying a high cost with our rising utility rates and energy infrastructure expansion threatening our homes, our schools, our parks, our private property. Congressman Subramanyam's National Data Center Plan is a needed step in the right direction to protect residents, our environment, and our grid from irresponsible development. Without action, the risk to our grid is no longer a question of IF we will suffer a catastrophic failure, but when.” said Elena Schlossberg , the Executive Director of the Coalition to Protect Prince William County. Below is background on the four bills: The Responsible Data Center Siting Act would direct the Secretary of Energy to establish best practices for siting data centers considering energy availability and impacts on utility bills, water use and electricity use, and the environment. It would also consider community impacts such as noise, national security, work force, and tax revenue to guide data center development in a way that protects constituents. The bill is co-sponsored by Reps. Mike Quigley (D-IL), Andre Carson (D-IN), Hillary Scholten (D-MI), Veronica Escobar (D-TX), Greg Stanton (D-AZ), and Mike Levin (D-CA). The Data Center Fair Share Act requires data centers and other large energy users to pay the full cost of grid and generation upgrades needed to serve them. In Northern Virginia, residents are being stuck with rising utility bills to support the enormous energy demands of hundreds of data centers. Under this legislation, states would be required to adopt large-load tariffs ensuring data centers — not residents — pay for their own power. States that fail to adopt these tariffs will lose access to federal highway funds. "This bill is a welcome and necessary step to create meaningful protections for consumers," said Karim D. Marshall, Director of Climate and Energy Policy at the Consumer Federation of America. "Families are suffering under astronomical energy prices and they need a backstop against the costs passed on to regular people. Something that is more than an empty promise. The Tech billionaires say that they will responsibly share our power and water. They say that they will be responsible without data and information.  They say ‘trust us, we know better.’ The moment demands that consumers are protected from the abuses of the rich and powerful. Consumers shouldn't be forced to subsidize Big Tech through their power bills. The Data Center Fair Share Act creates real consequences for jurisdictions that are willing to sell out their people to please Big Tech." The Data Infrastructure Energy Measurement and Standards Act directs the National Institutes of Standards and Technology (NIST) to develop technical standards for measuring data center energy and water use. This will ensure we know exactly how much water and energy data centers are using. The Data Infrastructure Risk Reduction Act will require the development of a strategy to protect the communities living around data centers and data infrastructure from adversaries. View the Responsible Data Center Siting Act here . View the Data Center Fair Share Act here . View the Data Infrastructure Energy Measurement and Standards Act here . View the Data Infrastructure Risk Reduction Act here . ###