S.Amdt. 4741Senate119th Congress (2025-2027)
S.Amdt. 4741
Sponsored by
Sen. Richard J. Durbin (D-IL)
Submitted March 20, 2026
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Senate amendment submitted
March 20, 2026
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SA 4741. Mr. DURBIN submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by him to the bill S. 1383, to establish the Veterans Advisory Committee on Equal Access, and for other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows: At the appropriate place, insert the following: SEC. __. DATA CENTER WATER AND ENERGY TRANSPARENCY. (a) Definitions.--In this section: (1) Administrator.--The term ``Administrator'' means the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. (2) Data center terms.--The terms ``data center'' and ``data center operator'' have the meanings given those terms in section 453(a) of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (42 U.S.C. 17112(a)). (3) Energy use.--The term ``energy use'', with respect to data centers, means the total quantity of electricity and other forms of energy consumed on site by that data center, as measured in kilowatt-hours. (4) Power usage effectiveness.--The term ``power usage effectiveness'' has the meaning given the term in ISO/IEC 30134-2:2026 of the International Organization for Standardization (or a successor standard). (5) Secretaries.--The term ``Secretaries'' means the Secretary of Energy and the Secretary of Agriculture. (6) State.--The term ``State'' means-- (A) each of the several States; (B) a territory of the United States; (C) the Federated States of Micronesia; (D) the Republic of the Marshall Islands; (E) the Republic of Palau; (F) an Indian tribe included on the list most recently published by the Secretary of the Interior under section 104 of the Federally Recognized Indian Tribe List Act of 1994 (25 U.S.C. 5131); and (G) the District of Columbia. (7) Unit of local government.--The term ``unit of local government'' means any county, parish, city, town, township, village, or other general purpose political subdivision of a State with the power to levy taxes, expend Federal, State, and local funds, and exercise governmental powers. (8) Water usage effectiveness.--The term ``water usage effectiveness'' has the [[Page S1457]] meaning given the term in ISO/IEC 30134-9:2022 of the International Organization for Standardization (or a successor standard). (9) Water use.--The term ``water use'', with respect to a data center, means the total amount of water consumed on-site by a data center, including water used for cooling, as measured in gallons. (b) Data Center Mandatory Reporting and Information Requirement.-- (1) Data collection.-- (A) Report to state.-- (i) In general.--Beginning not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act but subject to subparagraph (B), each data center operator with 1 or more data centers in a State shall submit to that State an annual report that, with respect to each data center in the State with a peak demand of not less than 25 megawatts operated by that data center operator, describes-- (I) on-site energy use and water use for the preceding calendar year, including-- (aa) total energy use during each month of that calendar year; (bb) if the data center relies on behind-the-meter power generation, the method to generate that power; (cc) total water use and the source of that water during each month of that calendar year; and (dd) annual average power usage effectiveness and water usage effectiveness; (II) projected on-site energy use and water use for not less than the following 5 calendar years, which shall include proposals for reducing the energy use and water use of the data center and the increases in efficiency that are anticipated to result from those proposals; and (III) such other information as the State may require. (ii) Form.--A data center operator shall submit a report under clause (i) in such form and in such manner as the applicable State may require. (iii) Fees authorized.--A State may, in requiring the reports described in this subparagraph, assess fees on data center operators to support data collection under this subparagraph. (B) Report to administrator and secretaries.-- (i) In general.--If a State does not have a program to collect the information described in subclauses (I) and (II) of subparagraph (A)(i)-- (I) the State shall inform the Administrator and the Secretaries jointly; and (II) a data center operator with data centers in such a State shall submit to the Administrator and Secretaries jointly a report that, with respect to each data center in such a State with a peak demand of not less than 25 megawatts operated by that data center operator, describes-- (aa) the information described in those subclauses; and (bb) such other information as the Administrator and Secretaries may jointly require. (ii) Form.--A data center operator shall submit a report under clause (i) in such form and in such manner as the Administrator and Secretaries may jointly require. (C) Reports to local governments.--A report to a State or the Administrator and the Secretaries jointly under subparagraph (A) or (B) shall be made available to an affected unit of local government on request and, if applicable, in compliance with any program established by the State for the collection of those reports. (2) Reports on prospective and expanded data centers.-- (A) Report to state.-- (i) In general.--Subject to subparagraph (B), each person seeking to construct a data center with a projected energy use of not less than 25 megawatts and each data center operator seeking to expand a data center with a projected energy use of not less than 25 megawatts shall submit to the State in which the new or expanded data center would operate a report that describes-- (I) as applicable-- (aa) the projected energy use and water use and the sources of energy and water of the new data center during the first 5 calendar years after the data center begins operation; or (bb) the projected increase in energy use and water use as a result of the expansion of a data center during the first 5 calendar years after completion of the expansion; and (II) proposals for reducing the energy use and water use of the data center and the increases in efficiency that are anticipated to result from those proposals. (ii) Form.--A report submitted under clause (i) shall be submitted in such form and in such manner as the applicable State may require. (B) Report to administrator and secretaries.-- (i) In general.--If a State does not have a program to collect the information described in subparagraph (A)(i)-- (I) the State shall inform the Administrator and the Secretaries jointly; and (II) a person seeking to construct a data center and each data center operator seeking to expand a data center in such a State shall submit to the Administrator and the Secretaries jointly a report that describes, with respect to the proposed data center or the expansion of the data center, the information described in that subparagraph. (ii) Form.--A person or data center operator shall submit a report under clause (i) in such form and in such manner as the Administrator and Secretaries may jointly require. (C) Reports to local governments.--A report to a State or the Administrator and the Secretaries jointly under subparagraph (A) or (B) shall be made available to an affected unit of local government on request and, if applicable, in compliance with any program established by the State for the collection of those reports. (3) Aggregated reports.-- (A) Reports from states.-- (i) In general.--Each State that receives a report under paragraph (1)(A) or (2)(A) shall submit to the Administrator and the Secretaries jointly an annual report that describes the data collected pursuant to all such reports submitted to the State under paragraph (1)(A) or (2)(A), as applicable, during the previous year in such a manner as may be required jointly by the Administrator and the Secretaries. (ii) Anonymized data.--The reports submitted under clause (i) shall only include anonymized and aggregated information. (B) Public report.--The Administrator and the Secretaries shall jointly make publicly available on an annual basis a report that-- (i) describes-- (I) using information collected from the reports under paragraphs (1)(B) and (2)(B) and subparagraph (A)(i), the aggregated total energy use and water use of data centers in the United States, by region, during the calendar year covered by the report; (II) regional impacts of data centers on water and electricity rates for consumers and communities; (III) the environmental impacts resulting from the operation of data centers, including-- (aa) water and energy sources, supply, quality, and reliability impacts on consumers and communities; and (bb) other direct or indirect impacts; and (IV) recommendations for best practices to limit the impacts described in subclauses (II) and (III); (ii) includes, based on the reports received by the Administrator and the Secretaries jointly under paragraphs (1)(B) and (2)(B) and subparagraph (A)(i) for the calendar year covered by the report, the aggregated projection of energy use and water use by data centers for the 5 years following that calendar year; and (iii) does not include any information that the Administrator and the Secretaries jointly determine is proprietary. (4) Rulemaking.-- (A) Federal authority.--The Administrator and the Secretaries may jointly promulgate such regulations as may be necessary to carry out this subsection. (B) State authority.--A State may promulgate such regulations in accordance with the laws of the State as may be necessary to carry out this subsection. (5) Enforcement.-- (A) State enforcement.--If a State establishes a program for collecting data pursuant to paragraphs (1)(A) and (2)(A), the State may issue fines and otherwise engage in other enforcement activities to comply with the requirements of this section and applicable State laws. (B) Federal enforcement.-- (i) In general.--Subject to clause (ii), the Administrator and the Secretaries shall jointly fine a data center operator that negligently violates a requirement of paragraph (1)(B) or (2)(B) $20,000 for each day that the data center operator is in violation of that requirement. (ii) Inflation adjustment.--On the date that is 3 years after the date of enactment of this Act, and every 3 years thereafter, the Administrator and the Secretaries shall jointly adjust the amount described in clause (i) to reflect changes for the 36-month period ending the preceding November 30 in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the Department of Labor. (c) Fees.--The Administrator and the Secretaries shall jointly assess fees on data center operators that submit a report under paragraph (1)(B) or (2)(B) of subsection (b) in an amount necessary to carry out this section and may, without further appropriation, use the amounts collected to carry out those paragraphs. ______