The AI Data Center Moratorium Act of 2026 would do that by instituting an immediate federal moratorium on AI data centers until strong national safeguards are in place
Enact an immediate federal moratorium on AI data centers until strong national safeguards are in place.
Occurrences
the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Data Center Moratorium Act, legislation that would create a temporary prohibition on the construction of new data centers and the expansion of existing data centers until Congress passes comprehensive legislation to address the economic, environmental, and safety impacts of artificial intelligence.
Evidence
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In a congressional hearing, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez showed jars of muddy water from Morgan County, Georgia and asked EPA whether it would investigate how data centers affect water quality and availability.
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The bill text states that it was introduced in the Senate, read twice, and referred to committee; the moratorium would begin only upon enactment, so it was not in force.
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Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez announced legislation calling for an immediate federal moratorium on AI data centers until strong national safeguards are in place.
Assessments
Ocasio-Cortez materially advanced the promise by helping announce and back federal moratorium legislation in 2026, and related oversight activity shows continued effort on the issue. But the evidence indicates the moratorium remained a proposal referred to committee and was not enacted, so the promised federal moratorium was not delivered. Under the stated rule, a serious legislative attempt that fails still scores as never with effort credit.