A New Data Center ‘Bill Of Rights’ Would Empower Communities To Say Not In Their Backyard

As data centers continue to dominate the public conversation, one congressman is proposing a "data center bill of rights" that would empower communities to reject proposals.

Congressman Ro Khanna, D-California, told CNBC that he wants to pass a resolution that would strengthen communities' ability to say no to the projects.

Local opposition to data centers, which provide the infrastructure needed to support AI computing power, has been exploding across the country. According to Data Center Watch, a research firm tracking the issue, in the first quarter of 2026, 75 data center projects worth approximately $130 billion were blocked or delayed.

Opposition efforts have been growing, with figures showing that the first three months of 2026 equaled the scale of opposition of 2025.

Arguments often focus on issues such as energy usage and the potential impact on utility bills. Other concerns involve the use of fresh water in cooling systems that can potentially consume tens of thousands of gallons a day, or on potential noise coming from the facility.

Lastly, opponents also sometimes raise worries about enforcement of requirements once a facility is built. For example, could a township government or small town that passes a local ordinance to regulate a data center owned by a big tech company actually enforce it once the facility is completed, given the size and resources of the company they are dealing with?

Complicating the issue is the differences in design of data centers. Some have closed-loop cooling systems that proponents say can greatly reduce water usage. Others come with plans for electrical generation. And some include sound mitigation. Ultimately, it is often left to local officials to attempt to navigate fairly technical and complicated development proposals from massive companies.

Khanna told CNBC that he recently traveled through Pennsylvania and that he believes it is important for communities to be empowered to reject data center proposals.

"The biggest feedback I heard was in opposition to these data centers across the state," he told the outlet. "We need a data center bill of rights where communities don't have these data centers shoved down their throat, where they can stand up and say no and where they can make sure these aren't going in farmland or residential communities."

CNBC reported that Khanna's resolution would allow communities to bar data centers from being built within 2,500 feet of homes, schools, childcare facilities, hospitals or nursing homes.

The resolution also would maintain the state's ability to adopt moratoriums on data centers until statewide requirements on issues such as energy and water usage, and pollution standards were adopted, CNBC reported. At least 15 states have considered banning data centers and some, such as New York, already have a moratorium in place.

Khanna, whose district includes Silicon Valley, told CNBC that the big tech companies building data centers were "losing the country."