OPINION:
Counties hold more cards than they think when there are data centers planned for their communities (What a county can actually negotiate when a data center comes to town,” Web, Sept. 28). But the leverage is before the vote, not after.
Utility customers in seven PJM states were charged about $4.4 billion for transmission upgrades approved in 2024 to connect data centers. Those costs usually get spread across every family on the bill.
That is the wrong rulebook.
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A county cannot set utility rates. It can still make the developer pay for what the project needs: water, roads and the power upgrades that would otherwise hit ratepayers. Some deals already do that. Most still don’t.
Whether a community wants a data center is a local call. If it accepts one, neighbors should not get stuck with the bill. The company creating the demand should pay its own way and leave something behind for the people next door, like rooftop solar and home batteries that cut bills and keep the lights on when the grid hiccups.
Growth should strengthen the grid, not strain it.
Chairman, Americans for Energy Dominance
Lakeland, Florida
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