What happened
On 9 November 2026 the Senate voted to advance the bipartisan Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act (BAAJA), an energy-infrastructure permitting bill. It would force data centers to pay the full cost of the transmission upgrades they trigger and contains ratepayer protections and transmission reforms, but strips certain environmental protections and could accelerate gas-powered data centers and data centers on federal/public and tribal land. Sponsors aim to pass it before the current Congress ends in January; it has drawn backlash from anti-data-center advocacy groups and support from industry trade groups.
Why it matters
It directly governs US AI data-centre buildout — grid access, transmission cost allocation, and land use — and is the first major post-midterm test of data-center policy. It would shape the cost, siting and pace of AI compute infrastructure in the US.
Action needed
AI/cloud/hyperscaler and data-center operators should monitor the bill's floor schedule and its provisions on ratepayer/transmission cost allocation, environmental review and public-land siting, which would affect the cost and timeline of new data centers.