Data Centers and Water: Frequently Asked Questions

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Report metadata

Identifier

R49057

Version

2

Product type

Reports

Status

Active

Published

Jul 31, 2026

Source updated

Aug 1, 2026, 5:22 pm UTC

Authors: Peter Folger, Elena H. Humphreys, Nicole T. Carter, Corrie E. Clark, Laura Gatz, Anna E. Normand, Charles V. Stern

Politically.com intentionally does not reproduce the report summary or full text. Use the official Congress.gov links above to read the product in its source context.

Structured Congress.gov references

Related federal bills

• HR 9497To provide for improvements to the rivers and harbors of the United States, to provide for the conservation and development of water and related resources, and for other purposes.
  119th Congress
• HR 2940To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to allow an investment credit for certain water reuse projects.
  119th Congress
• HR 5227To conduct a study on the impact of artificial intelligence and data center site growth on energy supply resources in the United States, and for other purposes.
  119th Congress
• HR 5332To direct the Comptroller General of the United States to conduct a technology assessment focused on liquid-cooling systems for artificial-intelligence compute clusters and high-performance computing facilities, require the development of Federal Government-wide best-practice guidance for Federal agencies, and for other purposes.
  119th Congress
• HR 6900To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to address the nation's cost-of-living crisis.
  119th Congress
• HR 6984To require reports on the effects of data centers on air quality and water quality, and on electricity consumption by data centers.
  119th Congress
• HR 7858To require the Secretary of Energy to conduct a study on the effect of data centers on communities of color and low-income communities, and for other purposes.
  119th Congress
• HR 8033To ensure that American families are protected from the impacts of data centers on the electric grid, and for other purposes.
  119th Congress
• HR 8037To limit the effect of litigation on the environmental application process for data centers and associated infrastructure.
  119th Congress
• HR 9372To direct the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology to develop best practices for measuring data center energy use, study data availability for the purpose of improving energy demand forecasting capabilities, and for other purposes.
  119th Congress
• HR 9419To facilitate the responsible development of data centers and related infrastructure, to protect existing ratepayers from the shifting of incremental infrastructure costs attributable to large-load facilities, to encourage investment in water reuse, and for other purposes.
  119th Congress
• HR 9442To impose a moratorium on the construction of new data centers until legislation is enacted that safeguards the public from the dangers of artificial intelligence.
  119th Congress
• HR 9629To require an assessment of the environmental and public health effects of data centers, and for other purposes.
  119th Congress
• HR 9777To require that new and existing data centers use off-grid power and water supplies, and for other purposes.
  119th Congress
• HR 9825To require data center operators to submit to States or the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency and the Secretaries of Energy and Agriculture reports on data center energy and water use, and for other purposes.
  119th Congress
• S 2296An original bill to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2026 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy, to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for other purposes.
  119th Congress
• S 3269A bill to direct the Comptroller General of the United States to conduct a technology assessment focused on liquid cooling systems for artificial intelligence compute clusters and high-performance computing facilities, and for other purposes.
  119th Congress
• S 3737A bill to amend the Reclamation States Emergency Drought Relief Act of 1991 to provide financial and technical assistance to eligible entities for the conduct of innovative approaches to voluntary water partnership agreements among multiple water users and projects conducted by individual agricultural entities, and for other purposes.
  119th Congress
• S 3852A bill to impose certain requirements on data centers to ensure the prioritization of residential ratepayers, and for other purposes.
  119th Congress
• S 4213A bill to require data center operators to submit to States or the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency and the Secretaries of Energy and Agriculture reports on data center energy and water use, and for other purposes.
  119th Congress
• S 4214A bill to impose a moratorium on the construction of new data centers until legislation is enacted that safeguards the public from the dangers of artificial intelligence.
  119th Congress
• S 4784An original bill to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2027 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy, to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for other purposes.
  119th Congress
• S 5054A bill to exempt AI data centers from bonus depreciation and require data center operators to submit certain information relating to electricity and water use by data centers, and for other purposes.
  119th Congress