Trump’s Data Center Pledge Raises More Questions: Will consumers and communities benefit, or pay the price?

Washington D.C. — In response to today’s photo-op at the White House where big tech companies signed “pledges” to supply their own energy for data center construction, the League of Conservation Voters (LCV) released the following statement from Matthew Davis, VP of Federal Policy and former EPA scientist:

“People are looking for more than vague voluntary pledges to lower energy prices for working families, especially from a President who has continued to take clean energy options off the table and drove energy prices up 13% after promising to cut energy costs in half. Trump continues to make false promises that will harm our communities and increase our utility bills while putting more money in the pockets of Big Polluters and corporate billionaires. The public is rightly concerned about the impact the data center boom will have on their energy and water bills, their health, and their quality of life. 

People have strong concerns about data centers powered with dirty energy, and they want tech companies to pay their fair share for the private and communal resources they’re using. Trump’s focus on propping up more dirty, expensive energy like coal is directly at odds with what communities are looking for and could mean these “pledges” turn into nothing more than a massive bailout for coal and other dirty energy sources that can’t compete with the lower costs and other benefits of wind and solar power.” 

Polling released by Climate Power shows voters support data centers powered by clean energy over fossil fuels by a 41% margin. In another recent poll also released by LCV and Climate Power, data shows the public knows taking clean energy off the grid raises energy costs and are primed to blame leaders like Trump who are trying to ban clean energy and prop up dirty, expensive sources like coal.

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