Rogers pushing for 1-year pause on data center construction

{beacon} Technology Technology   The Big Story  Mike Rogers calls for one-year data center moratorium Former Rep. Mike Rogers, the GOP nominee in a critical Senate battle in Michigan, on Thursday called for a one-year pause on data center construction, the latest sign of the political toxicity of the server warehouses fueling the AI boom. Paul Sancya, Associated PressRogers said in a statement that he is pushing for a yearlong moratorium on new data centers “until we establish a fair, transparent approval process that puts local communities first.” “While I don’t support a federal ban, Michigan needs stronger guardrails to protect community control, prevent utility price hikes, protect our water and stop pay-to-play schemes,” he added.  His opponent, Democratic nominee Abdul El-Sayed, has previously waded into the data center debate, putting forward a series of “terms of engagement” for new projects. This includes requiring developers to cover any increased energy costs and commit to using closed-loop cooling systems, among other provisions. “Unless and until we have those terms of engagement at the federal level, I stand with local and state elected officials saying that we cannot approve any more of these until we have federal level guardrails,” El-Sayed said in July during an appearance alongside local organizers at a data center construction site. The Michigan race is critical to both parties’ hopes of holding the Senate majority in the…