# Data Centers Spark Bipartisan Backlash Amid Rising Electricity Bills

- URL: https://twotakes.us/stories/data-centers-spark-bipartisan-backlash-amid-rising-electricity-bills
- Published: 2026-09-19T13:11:15.598320+00:00
- Topics: data-centers, energy-policy, electricity-prices, environment, elections

## What the left says
- Rising electricity bills stem primarily from deregulated electricity markets that were never designed to absorb rapid load growth, not simply from data centers existing.
- Elected officials like Spanberger, Moore, and Haaland are pushing for moratoriums, accountability frameworks, and clean energy mandates to protect residents from higher utility costs and environmental harms like water use and noise pollution.
- Communities deserve rigorous, science-based health impact studies before data centers and related power infrastructure are approved, ensuring public health concerns are taken seriously rather than dismissed.
- Corporate influence, including tech company lobbying and campaign contributions, should not be allowed to shield data center expansion from scrutiny even when Democratic politicians have accepted that same industry's money.

## What the right says
- Democratic politicians who attack data centers for raising electric bills while simultaneously accepting campaign contributions from the same companies expose a hypocrisy that voters deserve to know about.
- Sherrod Brown's acceptance of $20,000 from Google's PAC and additional donations from Google-linked lobbyists undercuts the credibility of his attack ads against a Husted-backed Google data center.
- Government-imposed moratoriums and heavy-handed regulatory frameworks risk driving away investment, jobs, and technological growth tied to the AI and data center boom.
- Blaming data centers alone for higher electricity bills oversimplifies a complex issue rooted in broader energy market and regulatory structures.

## Common ground
- Electricity bills are rising and data centers are a significant driver of new energy demand across the country.
- The data center boom has become a major bipartisan political flashpoint heading into upcoming elections.
- Policymakers on both sides agree that grid capacity, energy affordability, and reliability need to be addressed as AI infrastructure expands.
- There is shared recognition that public trust requires transparency, whether through health impact studies or accountability frameworks governing data center development.

## Sources
- [AllSides](https://www.allsides.com/news/2026-09-17-0700/technology-facts-science-evidence-commissioners-ok-data-center-health-impact-study) (Center)
- [Fox News](https://www.foxnews.com/politics/dems-data-center-attack-critical-senate-race-hits-snag-money-trail-surfaces-jekyll-hyde) (Right)
- [Jacobin](https://jacobin.com/2026/09/us-canada-electricity-costs-generation-deregulation) (Left)
- [RealClearPolitics](https://www.realclearpolitics.com/2026/09/18/michigan_10th_district_affordable_reliable_power_or_higher_bills_711436.html) (Center)
- [The Economist](https://www.economist.com/united-states/2026/09/02/how-data-centres-became-one-of-americas-hottest-political-issues) (Lean Right)
- [The Hill](https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/6098665-spanberger-data-center-accountability/) (Center)
- [The Hill](https://thehill.com/policy/technology/6096844-moore-supports-data-center-moratorium/) (Center)
- [The Hill](https://thehill.com/policy/technology/6096516-haaland-data-center-moratorium/) (Center)
- [Washington Post](https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/09/18/spanberger-acts-restrict-new-data-centers-virginia/) (Lean Left)
- [Washington Post](https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/09/17/democrat-blocks-data-center-bill-senate/) (Lean Left)

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