Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is a U.S. Representative from New York who has publicly commented on data center energy consumption and its environmental impacts in Texas.
Referenced in 6 briefingsLast referenced: May 26, 2026
Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez are pushing a moratorium on new AI data centers, while Sens. Josh Hawley and Richard Blumenthal want consumer rate protection.
Maine Gov. Janet Mills vetoed a moratorium to preserve a $550 million project in Jay; Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez have proposed a federal moratorium; Pew found half of Democrats call data centers "mostly bad" for the environment.
Senator Sanders and Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez introduced a federal AI data center moratorium act, and at least 36 U.S. projects faced delays or blockages between May 2024 and June 2025, disrupting an estimated $162 billion in investment.