One of us led the Environmental Protection Agency under President Biden. The other chaired the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission under President Trump. We disagree on plenty, but not on this: the status quo is failing America.
Data centers are being developed faster than the rules meant to govern them can evolve. Communities are pushing back on rising power bills, air pollution, strained water supplies and constant noise. Grid operators are warning about reliability. Governors and county boards are improvising, from moratoriums to new permitting rules, because Washington has no framework, even as the industry asks for one.Without one, the country risks stalling tools central to its competitiveness, or building them at the expense of the communities next door.
