Trump says companies should pay 'dividend' to communities to make data centers popular
Trump said data center firms should generate their own power and pay nearby residents as opposition grows over electricity and water use.
- On Wednesday, President Donald Trump called on data center companies to pay communities a "dividend" to boost local support, posting on Truth Social that financial deals make unpopular projects popular.
- Public opposition to data centers has intensified over electricity demand and water consumption concerns, with at least 35 applications covering more than 24,000 acres pending across six Western states, according to the Center for Western Priorities.
- The Ratepayer Protection Act passed the House of Representatives on September 16 in a 417-3 vote, then advanced through the Senate 57-43, requiring utility regulators to consider if large electricity users bear infrastructure costs.
- Data centers have become a political flashpoint uniting voters across ideological lines as companies including Alphabet, Microsoft, Meta, and Amazon spend billions on expansion, with projects under construction in Abilene, Texas.
- Trump's administration has strongly backed data center expansion as a national priority, though the public remains highly opposed, citing concerns about electricity demand, water consumption, wildlife impacts, and federal land access.
11 Articles
11 Articles
DONALD Trump is proposing that companies pay dividends to local communities to gain public support for building artificial intelligence data centers, which are often unpopular.
‘Pay dividend to community’: Donald Trump tells companies as backlash against data centers grows across US
Donald Trump suggested data center companies pay local communities a dividend to build support for their projects, which face resistance over concerns about demands on water and electricity. He also said large data centers must generate their own power and return or sell surplus to the community.
The Economic Times
Times of India'Make deals and get them built': Trump calls on data centre companies to pay a 'dividend'
Donald Trump has urged data centre companies to generate their own electricity for local communities. He suggests offering a financial dividend to enhance the popularity of data centres. Trump believes that such financial incentives can turn unpopular centres into well-received facilities in the area. Additionally, he emphasizes that these centres could contribute to lower electricity prices for local residents.
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