POWER Act
- Bill Number
- H.R. 9019
- Origin Chamber
- House
- Congress
- 119th Congress, Session 2
- Policy Area
- Environmental Protection
- Status
- Introduced
- Latest Action
- 2026-05-22: Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
- Last Updated
- 2026-06-29T17:54:56Z
AI-Generated Summary
Purpose The legislation directs the Secretary of Energy to produce regular public reports on electric energy and water consumption by certain large data centers. Its stated goal is to ensure that data center development does not harm national water resources or farmland and that federal support does not subsidize projects that would otherwise be unviable.
Key Provisions
- Requires the Secretary of Energy, in consultation with the Environmental Protection Agency Administrator, to submit a report to Congress no later than two years after enactment and annually thereafter.
- Each report must cover the following for covered data centers during the applicable period:
- Water withdrawn from public water systems, including separate figures for facilities that recycle water and those that receive continuous supply.
- The number of covered data centers that generate all of their own electricity.
- The number of covered data centers that purchase electricity from the grid.
- Costs incurred to connect any covered data center to the bulk-power system and identification of who paid those costs.
- Defines “covered data center” as any qualifying project under Executive Order 14318, excluding projects owned or operated by federal agencies.
- Uses existing statutory definitions for terms such as bulk-power system, electric consumer, and public water system.
Significant Changes to Existing Law The bill creates a new, ongoing federal reporting requirement rather than amending substantive regulatory statutes. It incorporates definitions from the Federal Power Act, the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978, and the Safe Drinking Water Act but does not alter those underlying laws.
Potential Impacts
- Increases federal data collection and public disclosure on resource use by qualifying data centers.
- May affect planning and permitting decisions by highlighting water and electricity demands.
- Places administrative obligations on the Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency.
- Provides Congress and the public with standardized information that could influence future policy on infrastructure siting and subsidies.
Main Stakeholders Affected
- Operators of data centers that qualify under Executive Order 14318.
- Public water systems and electric utilities serving those facilities.
- The Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency.
- Congress, through receipt of the required reports.
- Federal agencies whose own data centers are explicitly excluded from coverage.
Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications The measure relies on Congress’s authority to require executive-branch reporting on matters affecting interstate commerce and federal resources. It links reporting obligations to an existing executive order on data-center permitting, creating an oversight mechanism without establishing new regulatory standards. No constitutional conflicts are evident in the text.
This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.
Sponsor
Recent Actions
- 2026-05-22: Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
- 2026-05-22: Introduced in House
- 2026-05-22: Introduced in House
Bill Versions
- Public Oversight of Water and Energy Reporting Act — issued 2026-05-22 — PDF (4 pages)