Congressman Andy Barr says he supports local control of data center projects.
Barr, the Republican nominee for the U.S. Senate, contends data centers, which have been the subject of intense public scrutiny in recent months, can bring construction jobs and tax revenues to communities that need them.
Data centers could even lower rates for electricity customers if they bring their own power, he told WEKU Friday at an event in Richmond. Still, Barr says the decision to allow them should fall to local governments.
“Now, each development is different, and they should be scrutinized,” he said, “and so my position on all of this is local control, national American leadership in this area.”
A ratepayer protection bill passed the House of Representatives this week, 417-3. All of the state's five House Republicans and one Democrat voted for it.
Barr says it codifies an earlier pledge from President Donald Trump. By signing it, electric utilities agree to not shift the cost of data center development to other customers.
“We're going to continue to make sure that local communities have control,” Barr said, “but that the United States continues to lead in (artificial intelligence) and other technologies of the future.”
Like Trump’s pledge, the ratepayer bill is largely voluntary, however. It encourages, but does not require regulators and utilities to make sure other customers do not bear the cost of data centers.
Residents in Eastern Kentucky pay some of the highest bills in the state.
Barr is running to succeed longtime Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell, who’s retiring after more than 40 years representing Kentucky in Washington, D.C.
Democrat Charles Booker, Barr's opponent, supports a moratorium on data center development in Kentucky. Numerous cities and counties have enacted their own limits on data centers.
