Why Rep. Ro Khanna wants a Data Center Bill of Rights to regulate AI growth

Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., is calling for stronger regulation of data centers as the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence infrastructure creates growing concerns across the United States.

On August 6, 2026, he introduced a resolution he described as a “Data Center Bill of Rights,” proposing principles that would give communities more authority over data center development.

Khanna’s proposal focuses on local decision-making, utility-bill protections, water-use transparency, pollution limits, and community benefit requirements tied to AI data center growth.

Khanna calls for greater local control

Khanna says AI infrastructure should not expand at the expense of communities hosting data centers. His Data Center Bill of Rights would give affected communities more authority over project approvals and the review of local impacts.

The proposal would let communities reject proposed data centers through a transparent process and preserve local authority to regulate or prohibit development without being overruled by state governments.

Khanna has also raised concerns about electricity bills, water supplies, pollution, and public health. His resolution calls for protections intended to prevent households and small businesses from facing higher electricity rates or fees tied to new data center development.

What Khanna’s Data Center Bill of Rights proposes

Khanna’s resolution would establish principles to give communities greater authority over data center development.

One provision would allow communities to reject data center projects within 2,500 feet of homes, schools, childcare facilities, hospitals, and nursing homes.

The proposal would also support a transparent process through which communities could reject proposed projects and would preserve the ability of states to impose broader restrictions or pauses on data center development.

Another provision would protect electricity customers by preventing existing ratepayers from bearing the increased electricity costs associated with new data center development. The resolution also calls for data centers to use clean, reliable energy while meeting pollution limits.

Why data centers have become controversial

Data centers have expanded rapidly as companies build computing infrastructure to support artificial intelligence.

These facilities can require substantial amounts of electricity and, in many cases, significant amounts of water for cooling. That has made new projects a source of concern for communities where they are proposed.

Residents have raised questions about energy demand, utility bills, water use, and quality of life. Gallup found that among Americans who opposed building an AI data center in their local area, 18% specifically cited energy use, and another 18% cited water use.

The same survey found that 71% of Americans opposed the construction of an AI data center in their local area. That included 48% who were strongly opposed.

By comparison, 27% favored local construction, including 7% who strongly favored it. The survey was conducted from March 2 to March 18, 2026.

AI growth is creating an infrastructure debate

The United States is investing heavily in the infrastructure needed to support artificial intelligence. Data centers are a central part of that infrastructure because they house the computing equipment required to run AI systems and other digital services.

Their expansion has created tension between the growing demand for computing capacity and concerns from communities where facilities are being developed.

Khanna’s proposal seeks to address that conflict through greater local authority and restrictions around certain locations. His position is not that the United States should abandon AI infrastructure.

Instead, he argues that expansion should occur under rules that give communities greater control and prevent residents from bearing disproportionate costs.

Khanna says AI leadership should continue

Khanna’s position comes as the United States considers how to maintain its leadership in artificial intelligence while addressing the costs of building the necessary infrastructure.

Khanna has not called for abandoning AI infrastructure. Instead, his Data Center Bill of Rights argues that data center growth should happen under rules that protect local communities, limit pollution, increase transparency, and prevent households and small businesses from absorbing new electricity costs.

His position supports AI development while calling for stronger guardrails on where data centers are built and how their costs are shared.

What the proposed rules could change

If the principles in Khanna’s resolution were adopted, communities could gain greater authority over where certain data centers are built.

The proposal would support restrictions on data centers within 2,500 feet of homes, schools, childcare facilities, hospitals, and nursing homes. Communities could also have a stronger role in deciding whether proposed projects move forward.

The proposal would seek to prevent existing utility customers from bearing increased electricity costs associated with new data center construction.

The clean-energy provision would add another proposed condition for companies that develop and operate these facilities. However, the resolution is not an enacted law and would not automatically impose new requirements on data center operators.

Khanna links the proposal to his economic agenda

Khanna’s data center proposal is part of a broader argument about how the United States should manage the economic effects of artificial intelligence.

He has argued that AI development should benefit workers and communities rather than increase wealth for technology companies and investors.

His broader economic agenda includes ideas aimed at ensuring workers benefit from AI-driven productivity gains and requiring data centers to contribute to the communities that host them.

Khanna has also previously advocated for an Internet Bill of Rights focused on data ownership, consent, and privacy. That initiative is separate from the proposed Data Center Bill of Rights.

What comes next for the data center debate

Khanna’s resolution does not by itself impose new requirements on data center operators. Instead, it lays out proposed principles for how communities and policymakers could approach the rapid expansion of AI infrastructure.

The debate is likely to remain focused on balancing AI growth with concerns about energy, water, land use, and electricity costs.

Gallup’s polling shows that opposition to local data center construction is already widespread. For Khanna, the issue is about ensuring that technological development does not leave communities without a meaningful voice.

His Data Center Bill of Rights would put local authority, community protections, energy costs, and clean-energy requirements at the center of the debate.

As AI infrastructure continues to expand, decisions by lawmakers and local communities could influence where new data centers are built and how their costs are shared.

TL;DR

• Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., is calling for stronger regulation of data centers as AI infrastructure expands across the United States.
• His proposed Data Center Bill of Rights would give local communities a greater role in deciding where data centers can be built.
• The proposal includes a 2,500-foot buffer around homes, schools, childcare facilities, hospitals, and nursing homes.
• Khanna wants communities to have greater protection against electricity costs associated with new data center development.
• The proposal calls for data centers to use clean, reliable energy while meeting pollution limits.
• A March Gallup survey found that 71% of Americans opposed constructing an AI data center in their local area, including 48% who were strongly opposed.
• Khanna supports AI development but argues that data center growth requires regulation, community input, and safeguards to prevent shifting costs onto residents.

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This article was made with AI assistance and human editing.