Trump Mandates Data Centers Produce Power and Pay Dividends
President Donald Trump urged data center companies to pay community dividends and mandated that large facilities produce their own electricity to lower local power costs.
Donald Trump called on data center companies to pay a "dividend" to local communities or individuals to overcome public opposition to the facilities. In a Truth Social post on Wednesday, the president stated that unpopular data centers become popular once financial deals are struck.
Trump mandated that new, large-scale data centers produce their own electricity and sell or provide excess power back to the local grid or community. He claimed this requirement could lead to a substantial decrease in electric prices. These proposals arrive as the administration prioritizes data center expansion to support artificial intelligence, despite public concerns regarding electricity demand, water consumption, and wildlife impacts.
The push for expansion follows a September 30 U.S. Senate block of the Ratepayer Protection Act, which would have required large electricity users to bear the incremental costs of power infrastructure. Bureau of Land Management records indicate at least 17 proposed data center campuses and 13 infrastructure projects are currently pending or active across six Western states.
