US Senators Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) have called for a nationwide moratorium on data center development.

As reported by the Guardian, Wall Street Journal, and others, the pair will today (March 25) introduce the Artificial Intelligence Data Center Moratorium Act, which would temporarily ban new developments.

The block would be lifted after new legislation passes that would establish protections for workers and consumers, prevent harm to the environment, and defend civil rights.

“AI and robotics are creating the most sweeping technological revolution in the history of humanity,” Sanders said in an emailed statement to the Guardian, repeating parts of a speech he gave to Congress in February. “The scale, scope, and speed of that change is unprecedented. Congress is way behind where it should be in understanding the nature of this revolution and its impacts.”

The bill would be very unlikely to pass. Sanders first called for a nationwide pause on data center development in February, saying that ‘as the industry evolves, so must our policies.”

“This pause allows us to put clear and consistent guardrails in place while protecting our most precious resources and preserving our quality of life,” he said at the time.

Environmental group Food & Water Watch also called for a nationwide moratorium in October, and has said that the “completely unregulated expansion of AI-driven data centers is causing tremendous harm.”

In response to Sanders & AOC’s proposals, the group said this week: “We commend Senator Sanders and Representative Ocasio-Cortez for their bold, insightful leadership on this critical issue at the federal level. Given the pace of the unregulated AI data center buildout, members of Congress must move quickly to sponsor, champion, and pass this critical legislation.”

The Data Center Coalition, a data center advocacy group, said that a federal mandate to halt data center construction "risks rationing access to digital services, impairs our global competitiveness, and will have substantial impacts on Americans’ daily lives." 

"The data center industry remains committed to working with communities, local officials, tate and federal policymakers, and the administration to ensure the continued responsible development of this industry while protecting families and businesses," said Cy McNeill, senior director of federal affairs, Data Center Coalition.

The AI Infrastructure Coalition, another advocacy group, said a moratorium on data centers was a "moratorium on the American economy."

AI Infrastructure Coalition co-chairs Kyrsten Sinema and Garret Graves said: “This bill doesn’t hit pause on AI. It cuts the cord on the infrastructure that keeps modern American life running.”

Officials in Minnesota, New York State, Virginia, New Hampshire, Vermont, Oklahoma, Maryland, Georgia, Maine, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Wisconsin, and Michigan have all called for state-wide bans on new developments.

Many counties, townships, and cities across the country have also looked to introduce their own moratoria on new developments.

Rather than full bans, other officials are looking to remove tax incentives for new data center developments as a way to disincentivise projects.

The governor of Mississippi, Tate Reeves, has claimed that those seeking a data center moratorium were "yearning to submit our society to outside forces: mobs, international councils, or communist China."

Last week, the Trump administration released a new legislative framework focused on AI and protecting people from its negative effects. It would, however, prevent states from regulating AI at the local level.

The president has also called for developers and operators to commit to paying for their own grid infrastructure costs in order to protect residential bill payers from higher prices.