Senators Elizabeth Warren and Josh Hawley are urging the Energy Information Administration to mandate annual energy-use disclosures for data centers to improve grid planning and ensure corporate accountability.

Key points

• Senators Warren and Hawley requested mandatory, public reporting on electricity consumption for all data centers.
• The Energy Information Administration recently launched a voluntary pilot program to track energy usage in Texas, Washington, Northern Virginia, and Washington, DC.
• Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez introduced legislation proposing a moratorium on new data center construction.
• Lawmakers are concerned that rising power demands from data centers are driving up electricity costs for residential ratepayers.
• Several states, including New York, are considering legislative pauses on new data center development to manage infrastructure strain.

Increased transparency regarding data center power consumption is critical for maintaining grid stability and preventing significant electricity price hikes for consumers. This bipartisan push reflects growing legislative pressure on the tech industry to account for the environmental and economic impacts of expanding digital infrastructure.