A US Lawmaker Wants Communities to Have the Right to Reject AI Data Centers
Representative Ro Khanna is pushing a 'Data Center Bill of Rights' that would let neighborhoods block new facilities over electricity costs, water use and proximity to homes.
Key points
- Representative Ro Khanna (D-CA) introduced a resolution in 2026 that would give local communities the right to reject new data center construction.
- The proposal would bar new data centers from being sited within 2,500 feet of homes, schools, hospitals or nursing homes.
- Several US states, including New York, have already placed moratoriums (temporary bans) on new data centers.
- The push comes as voters in multiple states have grown frustrated with rising electricity bills linked to AI infrastructure.
- Michigan Senate primary winner Abdul El-Sayed, endorsed by Khanna, has also backed pauses on data centers absent federal protections.
Data centers, the giant warehouse-like buildings packed with computer servers that keep AI services running, have become one of the sharpest political fights in America. They consume enormous amounts of electricity and water, and their neighbors are pushing back.
Rep. Ro Khanna of California wants to give those neighbors real power. He's introduced a resolution creating what he calls a "Data Center Bill of Rights," a set of legal protections letting communities refuse new facilities outright. Khanna told CNBC, which first reported the details, that the biggest feedback he heard during a recent trip to Pennsylvania was opposition to data centers: "We need a data center bill of rights where communities don't have these data centers shoved down their throat."
Our story on 4 August, "America Has a Data Center Problem, and AI Made It Worse", traced how this anger built from local zoning fights into a national issue.
What would the bill actually do?
The resolution sets out four main protections. First, no new data center could be placed within 2,500 feet of a home, school, childcare facility or nursing home, roughly half a mile. Second, communities would get a transparent public process to reject any proposed facility outright. Third, individual states could pause all new construction until they put rules in place guaranteeing that ordinary electricity customers don't pay more because of AI demand. Fourth, municipalities could regulate data centers without state governments overriding them.
| Protection | What it means in plain terms |
|---|---|
| 2,500-foot buffer zone | No data center within roughly half a mile of homes or schools |
| Community rejection process | Public vote or review can block a facility entirely |
| State-level moratorium power | States can freeze new builds until ratepayer rules are in place |
| Local regulation protected | City and county rules cannot be wiped out by state law |
The resolution would also require data centers to use clean and reliable energy, meet pollution limits, and let communities demand that local utility bills don't rise as a result.
Why does this matter for ordinary people?
Your electricity bill may already reflect this fight. Data centers draw power at a scale that can push costs up for everyone on the same grid. They also use large volumes of water for cooling, which can strain local supplies. For people living near a proposed site, the practical stakes are noise, heavier truck traffic and higher monthly bills.
Khanna represents Silicon Valley, home to many of the companies building these facilities. His framing is blunt: he said the hyperscalers constructing data centers are "losing the country" by ignoring community concerns.
The political pressure is real. Data center opponents recently won local races across party lines. Michigan Democratic Senate primary winner Abdul El-Sayed, whom Khanna endorsed, has called for state and local moratoriums unless the federal government sets guardrails. As we reported on 6 August, a unanimous vote in Hernando County, Florida to halt new data center construction showed the anger cutting across typical partisan lines.
What happens next?
A resolution is a statement of intent, not a law, and it changes nothing automatically. But it signals where Democratic politics on AI infrastructure is heading before the midterm elections, which will determine which party controls Congress. Expect more states and cities to act on their own in the meantime.
Common questions
Does this mean AI tools like ChatGPT could be affected?
Not directly. The resolution targets where new data centers get built, not what services run inside existing ones. Tools you use today keep working; the fight is about future construction.
Can a community already say no to a data center?
Sometimes, depending on the state. Zoning laws vary widely. This resolution would aim to set a national floor of protections so communities in every state have a formal mechanism to object.
