Legislative efforts target data center expansion on public lands and utility status

Legislators in the United States are introducing measures to restrict the expansion of data centers and prevent them from acquiring certain legal privileges. In Pennsylvania, the House passed a bill with a 202-1 vote that would prohibit commercial data centers from being designated as public utilities. The legislation was prompted by concerns regarding the potential for data center companies to use eminent domain to acquire land, a power currently held by utilities.

On a federal level, Senator Ron Wyden has introduced legislation to ban the development, sale, or transfer of federally owned public lands for the construction of new data centers and related infrastructure. This move follows reports that the administration is considering transferring over 17,000 acres of public land across several Western states—including Oregon, Nevada, Arizona, Idaho, Wyoming, and Utah—to facilitate the building of 12 new data centers. Wyden’s proposal aims to protect taxpayer-owned lands from corporate development that could impact water resources and energy costs.