kolliden · Nov 4, 2026

Allow them, but only if operators pay their full grid costs and meet strict conditions.

5 reasons6 sources

What this position proposes

No pause, but binding rules: special power tariffs for large loads, limits on water use, renewable power and waste heat reuse, and public reporting.

Reasons

1.
Special tariffs can make data centers pay for the grid built for them.
Under AEP Ohio's tariff, approved in July 2025, new data centers of 25 MW or more pay for at least 85% of their contracted power for up to 12 years, whether they use it or not.^[1]
1. Source 1: Data Center Frontier: Ohio sets new precedent, AEP's power rules shift data center cost burden · datacenterfrontier.comOpen original
Objections
- Yes, cities should pause new large data centers until their costs are understood and covered. · Leaves something out
  A connection tariff covers the grid built for one customer, not the wider market effect. In PJM, data center demand still raised capacity costs that every customer pays.^[1]
  1. Source 1: The Hill: Data center power costs in PJM · thehill.comOpen original
2.
Tariffs like this are quickly becoming normal.
At least 38 large-load tariffs were set up in the US between 2018 and 2026, 30 of them in 2025 and 2026.^[1]
1. Source 1: E3: Understanding the Drivers of Rising Electricity Rates and the Role of Data Centers (2026) · ethree.comOpen original
3.
Conditions can be written into law.
In Germany, new data centers must cover their electricity with renewable power from 2027, reach a power usage effectiveness (PUE) of 1.2 and reuse a rising share of their waste heat.^[1]
1. Source 1: Rödl & Partner: Neue Pflichten zur Abwärme und Co., Energieeffizienzgesetz in Kraft getreten · roedl.comOpen original
Objections
- Yes, cities should pause new large data centers until their costs are understood and covered. · Overstated
  Renewable power under Germany's rule can be bought on paper through certificates, so a data center can still run on the same physical grid mix as everyone else.^[1]
  1. Source 1: Rödl & Partner: Neue Pflichten zur Abwärme und Co., Energieeffizienzgesetz in Kraft getreten · roedl.comOpen original
4.
Water use depends mostly on cooling design, which rules can steer.
Google's air-cooled data center in Pflugerville, Texas used about 10,000 gallons in 2024, while its site in Council Bluffs, Iowa used about 1 billion.^[1]
1. Source 1: The Conversation (via AIhub): Data centers consume massive amounts of water, companies rarely tell the public exactly how much · aihub.orgOpen original
5.
A blanket pause also blocks projects communities want.
Maine's governor vetoed a moratorium in April 2026 because it would have stopped a $550 million data center in Jay with strong local support.^[1]
1. Source 1: MarketScreener: Maine governor rejects first US state freeze on new data centers · marketscreener.comOpen original

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