As Republican state and federal leadership has announced an ostensibly pro-data center messaging, U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell (D-Birmingham) has joined the Democrat chorus calling for a moratorium on their construction as a national fracture divides on the controversial issue.
The complex issue of large-scale data centers has exploded in recent months, driven by the precipitous expansion of artificial intelligence (AI) and the technology's reliance on additional centers to fuel it.
Those who oppose data centers typically cite environmental concerns, as well as the effects on electrical grids and the transfer of costs to citizens. Others cite concerns about the proliferation of AI as a technology in general and its potential to replace thousands of jobs in the United States.
Supporters, on the other hand, paint data centers as a means of improving states' efficiency and adding to significant economic growth in the area through taxation and other means.
New York has passed moratoriums on further data center construction, while other states are considering similar actions. In Alabama, U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Auburn), who is well-positioned to be Alabama's next governor, has unambiguously declared his vision for the state to be thoroughly pro-data center.
SEE: 'We're going to do data centers': Tuberville defends data center projects in Alabama amid backlash
State leaders have also taken a dim view of a moratorium, while still cautioning about how it is constructed in relation to tax revenue and other considerations.
On Tuesday, Sewell joined her colleagues U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) in introducing the AI Data Center Moratorium Act, which would pause the construction and expansion of centers until "Congress establishes comprehensive federal safeguards."
"I have heard from countless residents from across Alabama's 7th Congressional District who are deeply concerned about the impact that large-scale AI data centers could have on their neighborhoods, infrastructure, and quality of life," Sewell said. "They are asking thoughtful, commonsense questions about water use, energy demands, environmental impacts, and whether local communities will truly benefit from these developments. I share their concerns."
She continued, "I am not anti-AI, and I am certainly not anti-innovation. The rate at which these massive data centers are being constructed is simply outpacing our ability to establish meaningful protections for the communities that will host them. Congress has a responsibility to put commonsense federal guardrails in place so that every community—not just a select few—shares in the benefits of this technological revolution."
Sewell paired the announcement of her co-sponsorship with a social media video, where she further voiced her reasons for the bill.
The issue is largely divided on partisan lines, with only a handful of Republican members of Congress expressing skepticism of AI data center expansion.
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