"As legislation is introduced at a record pace, public opposition is driving more proposals that seek to restrict the tech giants."
"As public backlash erupts against data centers, AI companies have found themselves in a race with state lawmakers.
Companies are rushing to construct facilities for the servers that power their platforms. Legislators, across the country and the political spectrum, are increasingly racing to limit them.
State lawmakers have already introduced at least 375 bills on data centers this year, according to an analysis of legislative records by The Washington Post. Just over halfway through 2026, that number exceeds the total number of such bills in the three previous years combined. Roughly three-quarters of those bills introduced this year seek to restrict data centers in some way."
Chris Hacker, Cole Reynolds and Klara Auerbach report for the Washington Post September 3, 2026.
