Large data centers would report power, water, and infrastructure costs

A data center sponsor would file complete, accurate reports with the Energy Department. The reports cover data centers with an electric load of at least 20 megawatts. The bill groups certain nearby or commonly controlled buildings into one data center. Reports would cover ownership, power use and costs, effects on electric rates, water use, cooling, nearby protected places, construction labor, and government nondisclosure agreements. A report with required information withheld or marked confidential would still be posted, labeled incomplete, and sent back to the sponsor with notice of the problem. The reporting rules would apply whether or not the Energy Department has issued its regulations. For facilities starting construction on or after the date one year after enactment, sponsors would report at least 30 days before construction, within 30 days after operations begin, and by March 1 each year for 10 years after the year operations begin. Sponsors of earlier facilities would file an initial report within 90 days after that applicability date, with further reports as specified in the

The Energy Department would publish the reports in a free, searchable public database. The database would include each report and searchable information such as the facility’s location, sponsor, utility, and electric load. People could use the database without registering, and download all its contents in bulk. The Department would also show nationwide, state, and county totals for data centers, their loads, costs not paid by sponsors, and water use. The Department would post each report within 15 days after receiving it and update the aggregate statistics at least every three months.

A sponsor that fails to file a complete, accurate report, or files a seriously misleading one, could face a civil penalty. The penalty applies to sponsors required to file reports under the bill. The penalty could be no more than $1 million for each day the violation continues. The daily penalty limit would apply for each day a violation continues.