[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 202 (Wednesday, December 3, 2025)]
[House]
[Page H5013]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    RUSHING TO BUILD AI DATA CENTERS

  (Ms. KAPTUR asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, citizens nationwide and across our district 
are pushing back on AI data centers. They are concerned these 
facilities demand massive amounts of energy and water, driving up 
rising regional utility costs even more.
  How much more will our citizens be forced to pay for power and water? 
They have a right to know.
  Will our building trades be true partners in economic growth or just 
temporary labor, while facing higher utility bills at home?
  How many permanent jobs will these largely opaque facilities actually 
provide? Exactly which out-of-town interests will get the profits if 
these firms succeed?
  Residents across our region complain State and local approvals are 
moving too quickly. In Ohio, the crooked PUCO and Ohio's Legislature 
have granted giant tax breaks to data centers, while local township 
officials remain in the dark about details. That is not fair.
  Ohioans know what secrecy and inside deals bring. FirstEnergy 
scandals led to indictments, prison terms, and even suicides. Ohio 
Statehouse corruption rewards big business and harms the public. The 
American people deserve to know how AI data centers will affect their 
communities. Public hearings must be more robust and factual, not 
merely road shows by proponents.

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