Beshear Executive Order Establishes Ratepayer Cost, Environmental Protections on Data Centers
The order requires developers to prove projects will not raise electricity costs and directs regulators to block rate hikes tied to data centers.
- On Thursday, Democratic Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear signed an executive order requiring data center developers to protect local ratepayers and the environment by submitting energy plans proving operations will not increase utility bills.
- Beshear issued the order amid widespread speculation as companies approached county fiscal courts, while more than 30 counties have already passed moratoriums reflecting a growing national trend.
- Developers must submit an "initial energy plan" to the Energy and Environment Cabinet explaining how they will protect businesses and residents from rising utility bills while paying their "full and fair share" of local taxes.
- Angie Hatton, chair of the Kentucky Public Service Commission, and Environmental Cabinet Secretary John Lyons will enforce standards by denying permits for projects harming air quality, water resources, or natural resources.
- While this establishes a statewide baseline, Beshear emphasized that welcoming data centers remains a "very local decision," and the state has yet to see any air quality permit applications this year.
23 Articles
23 Articles
Jessamine Journal
Harlan EnterpriseNew executive order aims to protect Kentucky from data center harm
FRANKFORT – Gov. Andy Beshear announced on Thursday that he has signed an executive order to protect against any harmful impacts from potential data centers that are built in Kentucky. Beshear said he issued the order in response to the surging demand for data centers. “This establishes the framework to ensure that data center companies looking to do business in Kentucky, which will ultimately be a very local decision of whether to welcome them,…
The Paintsville Herald
Beshear executive order establishes ratepayer cost, environmental protections on data centers
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear issued an executive order on Aug. 6 requiring that data center developers assure the state that projects will not result in additional energy costs on ratepayers and requiring that they follow environmental regulations.
This Kentucky family rejected a $26 million data center offer to protect their farmland
The anonymous buyer, described as a major AI company, was looking for a large site for a new data center. The Huddleston family's property checked the boxes: a big, contiguous tract in the right location. Farmland in Mason County typically sells for about $6,000 an acre, but the offer reflected...Read Entire Article
Hoptown Chronicle
kentuckylantern.comBeshear issues executive order to protect against ‘harmful impacts’ of data centers
Gov. Andy Beshear is ordering Kentucky regulators to protect residents and ratepayers from potential harms tied to data centers, including higher utility bills and impacts on air and water.
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