Congress should consider raising a new excise tax on data center development to offset rising power costs and workforce disruption, one lawmaker says.Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR), the top Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee, said a new excise tax should offset data centers' rising rising energy demands. It could also address the broader workforce disruptions created by the artificial intelligence tools the data centers power.
The debate comes as both parties jockey with how to address the fast-growing data center industry nationwide. Thousands of new data center proposals have brought impacts on the housing market and energy prices. They've also emerged as a midterms flashpoint, as the parties try to contend with how to regulate the industry...
RSK: I'm just a bit skeptical about this. Usually when the government gets involved, there is a lot of waste. Ideas with no plan of execution.
Ken Notes: It seems to me that the PSC could simply freeze rates to households and existing businesses at current (or even better 2020) electric / natural gas rates. Then shift cost increases to NEW large consumers like Data Centers. The new businesses would then cover increased costs due to demand and infrastructure upgrades like power lines. WIN WIN. We could do this with public water and new well permits as well.
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- - Volume: 26 - WEEK: 38 Date: 9/15/2026 5:28:45 PM -