Senators are seeking to find out how much electricity data centers actually consume

On Thursday, Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Josh Hawley (R-Missouri) sent a letter to the Energy Information Administration (EIA) urging it to begin collecting “comprehensive, annual disclosures of energy use” in data centers, Reuters reported. Wired. According to the letter, data on how much electricity data centers consume “is essential for accurate grid planning and will support policy making to prevent large companies from increasing electricity costs for American families.”

The Energy Information Administration announced Wednesday that Launch a pilot program To evaluate energy use in data centers, but this program is voluntary and focuses on Texas, Washington, Northern Virginia, and Washington, D.C. The joint letter from Senators Warren and Hawley appears to call for broader reporting on data center energy consumption.

It’s the latest in a growing bipartisan push for transparency and accountability about the impact data centers have on rising electricity costs across the country. On Wednesday, Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) introduced a bill Proposal to stop building data centers. Likewise, in February, Senators Hawley and Blumenthal (D-Conn.) Introduce a bill It aims to slow increases in the cost of electricity caused by data centers.

Many draft laws are also being considered at the state level, Like the one in New York It would put a three-year moratorium on new data center construction in the state. In December, Democratic lawmakers also participated I sent a message to technology companies Data center developers are demanding answers about how much energy their data centers use and companies’ plans to continue expanding their data centers.