Data Center Water and Energy Transparency Act of 2026

The Data Center Water and Energy Transparency Act of 2026 would require data center operators with facilities consuming at least 25 megawatts of power to submit annual reports on their energy and water use—including monthly consumption, sources, efficiency metrics, and five-year reduction plans—to either the state where the data center is located or, if the state lacks a reporting program, jointly to the EPA Administrator and the Secretaries of Energy and Agriculture. The bill also mandates reporting for new or expanded data centers meeting the same threshold, requires states to submit anonymized aggregated data to federal agencies, and directs the EPA and Secretaries to publish an annual public report on national data center resource use, environmental impacts, and efficiency recommendations, with authority to assess fees and enforce compliance through fines adjusted for inflation. Local governments may access these reports upon request.