Ro Khanna, a Democratic representative from California, introduced legislation in Congress for a “Bill of Rights” for data centers aimed at giving citizens and local communities greater control over the development and operation of these facilities.
The proposal would ban the installation of data centers in residential areas and within 750 meters of homes, schools, day care centers, hospitals and nursing homes.
The bill responds to concerns over the rapid growth of data centers and their impact on water supplies, electricity costs, air quality, public health and noise levels.
The initiative would give communities greater authority to approve or reject data center projects and would prevent states from overriding local regulations. It would also require measures to protect against rising utility costs, limits on noise and pollution, the use of clean energy, public impact reports, and transparency regarding water consumption and job creation.