Your electric bill isn’t high because of AI. It’s high because of red tape

The Washington Examiner argues that rising U.S. electric bills are driven by the country's inability to zone, permit, and interconnect new power fast enough to meet artificial intelligence demand, not by data centers themselves. The piece notes that towns are freezing data center projects, governors are adding conditions, and Senate candidates are promising a pause, but says a ban and a 'bring your own electricity' rule produce the same result: the project waits either way.

Data centers https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/tag/data-centers have become the new top scapegoat in American energy https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/section/policy/energy-and-environment/ politics. Towns are freezing data center building projects, governors are piling on conditions, and Senate candidates are promising a pause, all while the argument stays fixed on the data center itself. What almost no one is fixing is the reason bills are rising in the first place. The United States still cannot zone, permit, and interconnect new power fast enough to match what artificial intelligence https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/tag/artificial-intelligence is asking of the system. Until that changes, a ban and a “yes, but bring your own electricity https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/tag/electricity/ ” rule end up in the same place. The project waits either way. Stay informed.Stay ahead. Join Washington Examiner for unlimited access to the news, analysis, and commentary that matter most. See Options https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/subscribe/digital/ Already a member? Log in https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/sign-in/ Click here to login/register your account https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/print-subscription-check