Summary#
This bill would bar building or running large artificial-intelligence (AI) data centers on land owned or managed by the federal government. It also requires agencies to stop operations and remove any existing AI data centers and related infrastructure on federal land. The stated policy goal is to keep federal lands free of AI data center development and to require cleanup of any removed sites.
- Main change: Construction or operation of an “Artificial Intelligence Data Center” on federal land would be prohibited.
- Removal requirement: Agencies that operate, lease, or are building such centers must stop work and remove the facilities, or order their lessees to do so.
- Quick timeline to start removal: Agencies must stop operations and begin removal within 30 days after the law starts.
- Cleanup rules: Removal and site cleanup must follow the federal hazardous‑site law known as CERCLA (the Superfund law) and other applicable laws.
- Who and what counts: The bill defines AI data centers by purpose (development or operation of AI models at scale) or by size and technical features (over 20 megawatts of peak power, 20 kilowatts or more per rack, or liquid cooling). Associated infrastructure (power lines, substations, gas plants and pipelines, backup generators, water lines, cooling) is also covered. Federal land includes all U.S. government‑owned or -managed land, including Department of Defense property, but not trust land held for Indian Tribes.
What it means for you#
- Federal agencies: Agencies that own, lease, or are building qualifying AI data centers must stop operations or construction and begin removal within 30 days. They must follow CERCLA and other laws when cleaning up sites.
- Companies leasing federal land or under contract: Lessees could be ordered to stop work and to remove facilities on federal land. Existing leases or contracts may be interrupted.
- Utilities and infrastructure providers: Transmission lines, substations, pipelines, and other infrastructure built to serve an AI data center on federal land would be subject to removal if they are “associated infrastructure.”
- Local communities near federal land: Projects planned or operating on nearby federal land could be halted and removed, which could affect local jobs, services, or emergency plans tied to those facilities.
- Defense and national security operations: The bill covers Department of Defense land. It would apply to qualifying AI data centers on DoD property unless the center does not meet the bill’s definition.
- Tribal trust lands: The ban does not apply to land held in trust by the United States for Indian Tribes or tribal members.
Expenses#
No publicly available information.
- The bill itself requires removal and CERCLA‑consistent cleanup. This would likely create costs for demolition, deconstruction, waste handling, environmental remediation, and site restoration.
- Costs could fall on federal agencies, the lessee (if the agency orders the lessee to remove), or parties liable under CERCLA, depending on legal obligations.
- The 30‑day deadline to stop operations and begin removal could raise short‑term emergency or contract termination costs.
- The bill does not include a funding source, nor does it provide an estimate of total costs or who will pay for removal, contract settlements, or remediation.
Proponents' View#
The bill text and title indicate its purpose. From that material, possible arguments in favor include:
- The bill appears intended to keep federal lands free of large AI data centers.
- Supporters may argue this protects public land from industrial development and the environmental impacts of large data centers.
- Supporters may also see removal and CERCLA cleanup as a way to restore sites after industrial use.
Opponents' View#
Based on the bill’s design and what it requires, possible concerns include:
- One concern is the short 30‑day deadline to stop operations and begin removal. That is a rapid timeline that may be hard to meet and could disrupt services, contracts, or operations abruptly.
- The bill does not explain how removal and cleanup will be funded. This raises questions about who will pay for demolition, remediation, lost contracts, or replacement infrastructure.
- It is unclear how the law would interact with existing leases and long‑term contracts. The bill requires agencies to order lessees to remove facilities, but it does not detail compensation, lease cancellation rules, or dispute resolution.
- The definitions leave some room for uncertainty about which facilities qualify. Centers below the power or cooling thresholds, or those not explicitly used for “AI models at scale,” may be excluded, creating potential disputes over classification.
- Applying the ban to Department of Defense land could raise national security or operational concerns, but the bill does not address exemptions or national‑security review.