Jacobson bill would require data centers, chip plants to pay for increased utility costs

NEWBURGH – Assemblymember Jonathan Jacobson (D-Newburgh) is sponsoring a new bill that prohibits utilities from passing along the infrastructure costs of increased electricity demands from data centers and chip manufacturers to everyday consumers. The bill requires that these costs only be borne by those involved with the building or operation of the data centers and chip manufacturing facilities.

“Residents in my district are already feeling the strain of rising utility rates. But the added energy demand from data centers and chip companies threatens to drive up rates even further,” Jacobson said. “To meet this demand, utilities will need to expand and upgrade the grid, and my bill would stop them from passing on those costs to other customers.”

With IBM’s new Quantum Data Center in Pou