Senate negotiators on Wednesday released the text of a bipartisan permitting reform agreement that mandates AI and crypto data centers report their electricity usage to the federal government for the first time. The legislation, which now requires votes in the Senate and the House, aligns disclosure rules for computing hubs with those already required for other large energy consumers. The a-forementioned 'freedom-to-build' package also grants expedited approvals for high-voltage transmission lines for renewable energy and restricts state-level use of the Clean Water Act to block pipelines.
The release was briefly delayed by a dispute over language concerning five offshore wind projects the Trump administration had attempted to block. Separate from this deal, Senate Democrats plan to block the GOP-led Ratepayer Protection Act, which addresses data center costs. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer dismissed the legislation as an 'ineffectual participation trophy' and a 'toothless messaging bill,' despite it passing the House of Representatives 417-3.
Key sources
- SUPPORT@alecstapp“Trump signals he would ease his administration's blockade on wind projects to entice Democrats to agree to a permitting deal”x.com
- SOURCE@robinsonmeyer“AI and crypto data centers would have to report their energy use to the federal government for the first time”x.com
- SUPPORT@staunovo“Senate Democrats secured expedited approvals for high-voltage transmission lines needed for renewable-energy projects”x.com
- SUPPORT@lauraeweiss16“language addressing five offshore wind projects Trump had attempted to stop 'had changed substantially from the language that was originally negotiated.'”x.com
- SOURCE@siegelscribe“Republican aide tells me the permitting reform bill text release and press conference is BACK ON and happening very soon!”x.com
- SUPPORT@sahilkapur“passed the House of Representatives 417-3 isn't consequential”x.com
- SUPPORT@sahilkapur“Chuck Schumer calls the Jon Husted-led Ratepayer Protection Act 'a toothless messaging bill'”x.com
- SUPPORT@politico“Democrats gear up to tank data center legislation”x.com