Sponsor
Greg Landsman
Representative · D-OH
Representative · D-OH
The bill requires a rapid, science-based assessment that could identify water, pollution, and waste-management improvements benefiting nearby communities and informing policy — but it may prompt costly regulations or incentives and the short 180‑day deadline risks incomplete guidance.
Lawmakers and taxpayers: The bill requires a science-based assessment delivered to congressional committees, giving lawmakers actionable evidence to craft targeted policy or funding responses.
Local water suppliers and nearby users: The report could identify water-saving measures for data centers, reducing water stress on local supplies and helping communities dependent on limited water resources.
Residents near data centers (urban and rural): Identifying e-waste and waste-management improvements can reduce hazardous waste exposure and lower landfill burdens for nearby communities.
Data center operators, utilities, customers, and taxpayers: If the report prompts new regulations, retrofit requirements, or incentives, operators and utilities could face higher compliance costs that may be passed on to customers or require taxpayer-funded incentives.
Lawmakers and the public: The 180-day deadline for the assessment is short and may yield preliminary or incomplete findings, risking guidance that could misdirect policy or funding decisions.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Directs EPA to contract with the National Academies to assess and recommend mitigation for data center environmental and public health impacts and report to Congress within 180 days.
Official title: To require an assessment of the environmental and public health effects of data centers, and for other purposes.
Introduced July 9, 2026 by Greg Landsman · Last progress July 9, 2026
Requires the EPA Administrator to seek an agreement with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to study environmental and public health impacts from data centers and recommend ways to reduce those impacts. The study must examine noise, air pollution, water consumption and supply, carbon emissions, and waste (including electronic waste) and deliver a report with recommendations to relevant House and Senate committees within 180 days of enactment. The bill does not itself impose new regulatory requirements or appropriate funds; it directs the EPA to obtain an expert assessment and mitigation recommendations and to report findings to Congress quickly.