Representatives Moore, Costa Introduce Legislation to Study Impact of Artificial Intelligence in Rural America

Representatives Moore, Costa Introduce Legislation to Study Impact of Artificial Intelligence in Rural America

WASHINGTON - Representatives Blake Moore (R-UT) and Jim Costa (D-CA) introduced legislation requiring the U.S. Departments of Energy, Interior, and Agriculture to study the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) data center expansions in rural America. Rising energy demand from AI data centers has led to higher utility costs for consumers, and the Unleashing Low-Cost Rural AI Act will help keep costs down for Utah families.

"As a leader in both tech and energy innovation, Utah is a prime location for data centers and AI infrastructure. Cementing our role as an innovation hub will require identifying rural areas ready for data expansion, streamlining permitting for new energy projects, and promoting the co-location of data centers with energy facilities," Rep. Moore said. "These efforts will power our growing digital demands without passing costs on to families. I'm grateful to partner with Representative Costa to introduce the Unleashing Low-Cost Rural AI Act to identify other areas of the country, like Utah, that will advance solutions to meet our energy needs."

"AI Data Centers are expanding rapidly and using more energy and water than entire cities. That energy demand is driving up utility costs for consumers," Rep. Jim Costa said. "My legislation ensures we take a hard look at how this growth impacts rural communities that are powering the AI industry, and make sure families aren't left paying the price."

Background:

Artificial intelligence data centers are increasingly being built in rural areas to power the AI industry. This surge has led to higher energy demand and utility costs for consumers. PJM, the world's largest energy market that covers 13 U.S. states from Illinois to Washington, D.C., estimates that data centers are responsible for an additional $9.3 billion in costs for ratepayers.

The Unleashing Low-Cost Rural AI Act requires the U.S. Departments of Agriculture, Interior, and Energy to conduct a joint study on the impact of AI data center expansions in rural areas. Specifically, it identifies rural areas poised for technological expansions and the impact of such expansion on energy supply, reliability, and costs to consumers.

This study also looks at ways to upgrade existing energy infrastructure so that AI and data centers could be built alongside power facilities. This legislation reviews options for nuclear and geothermal energy, hydroelectric dams, solar, wind, battery storage, and carbon capture.

Read the full bill here.