This bill directs the Secretary of Energy to establish best practices for siting data centers. The Secretary must consult the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the Secretary of Defense, and other agencies as appropriate. The guidance must consider impacts on the electric grid (including electricity prices, transmission buildout, capacity, and connection timelines), water use and availability, environmental effects (water quality, air quality, ecosystems, emissions, and other environmental impacts), local community impacts (noise, light, and the appearance of a data center), national security implications (including risks of clustering multiple centers), effects on the local workforce and jobs, and local economic impacts such as tax revenue. The guidance must list site characteristics that minimize negative impacts and provide a list of ideal locations. The Secretary must publish the initial best practices on the Department of Energy website within one year of enactment and must review and, if needed, revise them within two years and at least once every two years after that. The bill uses the definition of "data center" from section 453 of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007. The bill was introduced in the House and referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce; sponsors are listed in the bill record.
If enacted, the Department of Energy would produce public guidance on where data centers should be located. The guidance could be used by companies, state and local planners, utilities, and communities when making siting decisions. The bill itself does not change permitting rules, set requirements for private companies, or provide funding in the text of the bill.
No publicly available information on costs or funding is included in the bill text. The bill requires the Department of Energy to prepare and update guidance, but it does not specify funding or estimated administrative costs.
No publicly available information on proponents' statements or detailed views is included in the bill text or provided metadata beyond the list of sponsors.
No publicly available information on opponents' statements or detailed views is included in the bill text or provided metadata.