Larsen Fights for Guardrails on Data Centers

Washington, D.C., September 23, 2026

U.S. Representative Rick Larsen (WA-02) joined 110 House Democrats in a letter to tech industry leaders last Friday demanding that all data center construction follow strict guardrails to protect consumers from electricity and water price hikes.  

“Data center projects and the energy systems and infrastructure that support them must be built and operated responsibly with a commitment to high-quality construction, good jobs, strong environmental stewardship, and strong partnerships with the communities they serve,” wrote the Members.  

The lawmakers stated that they would oppose new data center construction projects that failed to incorporate strong labor standards, negotiate community benefits agreements with local leaders, and mitigate impacts on local air quality, drinking water and utilities costs for residents. 

“At a time when the nation's power grid, roads, bridges, schools, and other public infrastructure require significant investment, data center development must strengthen rather than strain, these systems,” the Members continued. “Developers must also invest responsibly in grid infrastructure, including new generation and grid upgrades, to protect ratepayers from bearing the costs of data center projects' energy needs.” 

The full text of the letter to tech industry leaders can be read here. 

Larsen Holds Data Centers Accountable 

Last week, Rep. Larsen voted for legislation to protect families from higher electricity bills because of data centers in their communities (the Ratepayers Protection Act). Rep. Larsen also cosponsors the Big Ugly Tax Breaks for Data Centers Act to roll back tax breaks for large AI data centers in Republicans’ Big Ugly Law. 

Rep. Larsen supports tough, upfront restrictions on data centers:  

  • No high electric bills for local families and small businesses; 

  • No federal tax breaks; 

  • No construction without community approval and union labor; 

  • Data centers must pay their fair share to connect to and use the grid; and 

  • Data centers must use closed loop water systems. 

A one-pager on Rep. Larsen’s work to hold data centers accountable can be found here. 

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