Tech Companies Take Baby Steps to Address Affordability

Washington, D.C. -Today, seven Big Tech companies and Donald Trump agreed to an 'affordability pledge' that they claim will protect everyday Americans from soaring energy prices caused by the massive amount of power and infrastructure data centers require.

This pledge comes after the Sierra Club's steadfast and consistent urging for more protections for ratepayers from massive artificial intelligence data centers. In September 2024, Sierra Club published Demanding Better, a guide for data center developers to sustainably meet consumer and grid requirements, and in June 2025, Sierra Club published an open lettercalling on Big Tech to power their massive data centers with cheap, renewable energy. In January, the Sierra Club released its state policy frameworkwith clear guidance on how data centers can operate without driving up costs and pollution.

Sierra Club's national gas trackershows an alarming increase in planned gas plants-nearly 50 percent more than what is currently online-largely driven by unfettered data center demand. Despite evidence that clean energy is the lowest cost, lowest risk pathway for meeting responsible data center demand, the Trump administration has slashed billions of dollars in funding for clean energy projects.

By not calling on states to implement firm guardrails, today's pledge falls short of Sierra Club's common-sense recommendations, fails to protect ratepayers from gas price risk or pollution, and does not recognize community needs for transparency on data center development.

In response, Sierra Club Principal Advisor Jeremy Fisher issued the following response:

"We are long overdue for real protections from power-hungry data centers that are driving up power prices and increasing pollution in our communities, but this pledge is like asking the fox to guard the hen house. Data center developers have proven time and again that they're interested in protecting their bottom line only. This is a pinky promise, nothing more. Big Tech companies must now take real actions and show up in state regulatory venues and hold data centers accountable for every penny of their energy infrastructure costs, making sure data centers are building lower cost, lower risk clean energy, and minimizing impacts to local residents.

"The Sierra Club has fought for years for real, meaningful commitments by Big Tech, and we will not stop at a flimsy pledge to finally pay their fair share. We will continue our work to hold these massive corporations accountable and ensure that hard working Americans are not forced to carry the financial or environmental burden of data centers."

About the Sierra Club

The Sierra Club is America's largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit https://www.sierraclub.org.