This bill asks the federal government to study how data centers affect communities of color and low-income neighborhoods. Data centers are massive computer facilities that power everything from cloud storage to artificial intelligence, and they're growing rapidly—using about 4.4% of all U.S. electricity today and expected to jump to 6.7-12% by 2028. The problem is that these facilities consume enormous amounts of water and energy, and they're often built near communities that already face pollution and environmental challenges. The bill specifically mentions Memphis, Tennessee, where a large data center was built near a predominantly Black neighborhood already dealing with pollution issues. The Secretary of Energy, working with the EPA and other federal agencies, must study ten different impacts: water consumption, energy use, air quality, effects on farmland, impacts on electricity rates, wastewater effects, job creation and displacement, tax revenue benefits, property values, and public health risks like heat island effects. Within 18 months, they must report back to Congress with a map showing where data centers are located relative to vulnerable communities, recommendations for how the federal government can help reduce harms, and best practices that states and local governments can use to protect their residents.

To require the Secretary of Energy to conduct a study on the effect of data centers on communities of color and low-income communities, and for other purposes.