Unleashing Low-Cost Rural AI Act

This bill, introduced by Rep. Costa (with Rep. Moore of Utah) and titled the Unleashing Low-Cost Rural AI Act, directs the Department of Energy to designate a National Laboratory to conduct a study on how the growth of artificial intelligence and data center sites—especially when co-located on land owned and operated by a public utility—affects the United States’ energy supply resources. The study will examine infrastructure needs, the feasibility of using a broad mix of energy sources (including hydro, solar, wind, storage, carbon capture, as well as nuclear/geothermal), and potential impacts on energy costs, reliability, land and water use, and consumer expenses. It also considers whether there are deficiencies in energy supply resources and lays out ways to expedite environmental reviews and permitting for AI/data center projects and related energy assets. The study must prioritize remote areas and culminate in a report to Congress within 180 days of enactment. In short, this bill asks for a fast, targeted federal study to assess how growing AI and data centers could shape energy supply and permitting in rural and remote areas, and to identify streamlined processes and energy strategies for future development.