Sen. Josh Hawley has become the first Senate Republican to publicly back a nationwide moratorium on new data center construction, saying the pause should last until Congress guarantees the facilities will not raise household electricity bills.

Hawley announced the proposal on November 11, listing it among five priorities for Senate Republicans’ final six weeks before Democrats take control of the chamber.

His spokesperson said Hawley wants a “bill of rights” to protect taxpayers from rate increases, though he has not detailed the proposed guarantees.

The call comes amid growing electoral pressure: the Associated Press reported that 32 of 34 winning gubernatorial candidates supported tighter data center restrictions, and 12 backed bans or moratoriums.

Voters also approved 40 of 41 ballot measures restricting data center construction, including permanent bans in seven municipalities.

Public concern extends across party lines, with a Pew Research Center analysis finding that 60% of Americans would be uncomfortable with a data center opening nearby; opponents cite electricity bills, water use and noise.

Other community concerns include lower property values, air pollution, water shortages and the loss of agricultural land, while data centers can also bring construction jobs and tax revenue.

The stakes are rising with demand: U.S. data centers used an estimated 183 terawatt-hours of electricity in 2024, and a Department of Energy report projects they could consume 11.8% of the nation’s electricity by 2030.

Hawley has also backed proposals to limit tax breaks for data center developers, require disclosure of water and electricity use, and make facilities provide their own power.

In February, Hawley and Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal introduced the GRID Act, which would require new data centers to use electricity from sources separate from the grid and publicly disclose their power use.

Democrats have separately proposed a national pause through legislation from Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, but Hawley has not said whether he supports their bill.

Congress is also considering a different approach: the Senate voted 73-25 on November 9 to advance debate on a bill that would speed federal reviews for energy projects while requiring data center operators to pay for the grid costs they cause.