GOP Rep. Buddy Carter Says Data Center Industry Failing to Sell Public on Benefits

Rep. Buddy Carter (R-GA) said Thursday that the data center industry has failed to adequately explain its benefits to the public, even as he defended the facilities’ overall value to communities.

Carter made the comments during an appearance on Fox Business Network’s “Mornings,” where host Cheryl Casone raised the political stakes data centers have taken on ahead of the midterms.

Casone noted that companies building data centers argue they can supply their own power, avoid straining local water systems, and generate thousands of jobs. She pointed to comments from Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA), who told her earlier in the week that teachers in a Louisiana community received a $50,000 bonus tied to a Meta data center project. Casone asked why that kind of message isn’t reaching the public.

“Well, as you said earlier, they’re not doing a good job. Data centers are not doing a good job of messaging, and they need to do a better job,” Carter said.

Carter, a former mayor, said the bigger issue is that data center developers need to coordinate with local leaders before projects are announced, not after.

“I understand the importance of the data centers, of the utilities, of the communities, and working together to make sure that these kind of questions and these kind of concerns are addressed before the fact, not after it’s already been announced that they’re coming, but before they’re announced that they’re coming. That’s when they need to be working together on these things to make sure that energy costs aren’t going to rise for consumers,” Carter said.

Turning to his home state, Carter said Georgia’s Public Service Commission has already addressed one major concern by requiring data centers to cover their own infrastructure costs.

“Our Public Service Commission has said, ‘No, data centers are going to incur their own cost.’ If there has to be any improvements to the infrastructure, they’re going to have to pay for it. They covered that,” Carter said.

He said water use remains an open question, along with where facilities are sited. Carter said data centers should avoid valuable farmland and instead be built in locations that won’t disrupt neighborhoods or other residents.