A House hearing Tuesday laid bare some partisan splits on artificial intelligence infrastructure as Congress reckons with mounting pressure to address data center energy needs.
House Science, Space and Technology Republicans appeared ready to forge ahead with permitting changes that could speed up construction of data centers and associated energy sources.
The hearing happened just hours before President Donald Trump discussed data centers and their sizable energy needs during the State of the Union address.
Rep. Rich McCormick (R-Ga.), chair of the Science Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight, said, “I am not advocating that we eliminate all environmental review. We should always be friendly to the environment. We all love to preserve. I’m not advocating that we change the rules in some sort of dramatic capacity. But we do need to change.”
