Senators are pushing to find out how much electricity data centers actually use

On Thursday, senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Josh Hawley (R-MO) sent a letter to the Energy Information Administration (EIA) asking it to collect “comprehensive, annual energy-use disclosures” on data centers and make that information publicly available, as first reported by Wired. They’re urging the agency to “establish a mandatory annual reporting requirement for data centers,” saying the data is “essential for accurate grid planning,” and ensuring the seven tech companies that signed the Ratepayer Protection Pledge earlier this month adhere to their commitments.

The EIA announced Wednesday that it’s launching a voluntary pilot program to evaluate data center energy use in Texas, Washington, Northern Virginia, and Washington, DC. What Warren and Hawley are calling for in their letter is broader, mandatory reporting on data center energy consumption.

On Wednesday, Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) introduced a bill proposing a moratorium on data center construction. Similarly, in February, senators Hawley and Blumenthal (D-CT) introduced a bill aiming to slow electricity cost increases stemming from data centers.

Numerous state-level bills are also under consideration, like one in New York that would put a three-year pause on new data center construction. In December, Democratic lawmakers also wrote to tech companies and data center developers demanding answers on power use and potential expansion plans.

Update, March 26th: Added additional commentary from senators Warren and Hawley’s letter.