NC House Passes Bill Regulating Data Centers, Promoting Nuclear Power
State lawmakers vote 69-44 to advance legislation requiring data centers to pay fair share while promoting nuclear energy development.
RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA — The North Carolina House voted 69-44 Wednesday to approve legislation setting new regulations for data centers and encouraging expanded nuclear power development across the state.
Republicans advanced a modified version of Senate Bill 730, now titled the “Ratepayer Protection Act,” through the House this week before sending it back to the upper chamber. The bill moved through two committees on Tuesday before reaching the floor.
Bill Sponsors Cite Rising Energy Costs
Reps. Matthew Winslow (R-Franklin) and Dean Arp (R-Union) revealed the rewritten bill at the end of last month, shortly before the legislature’s Memorial Day break.
“North Carolinians are seeing higher electricity bills, driven by rapid data growth and aggressive energy mandates,” Winslow said on the floor Wednesday. “[This bill] puts our families and small businesses first by making data centers pay their fair share and strengthen grid reliability.”
Amendments Address Water Usage, Definitions
The chamber unanimously approved an amendment from Arp to clarify the definition of data centers and authorize the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality to establish standards for facilities’ water usage.
Democrats praised Republicans for incorporating some of their requests into Arp’s amendment, though the GOP majority rejected several other Democratic amendment attempts.
“We need to set up guardrails to protect us from this industry, and this bill is a good first step,” Rep. Pricey Harrison (D-Guilford) said.
Local Governments Implement Moratoriums
The legislative action comes as municipalities across North Carolina have implemented moratoriums on data centers while they study the facilities and explore necessary regulations. Data centers operate energy-intensive server farms around the clock to power continuous computer computations.
The bill now returns to the Senate for consideration of the House modifications. The legislation aims to address concerns about the impact of data center growth on electricity costs for residential and business customers while promoting grid reliability through nuclear power expansion.
