Tropical Storm Isaias is headed for the northern Gulf Coast, and forecasters expect it to come ashore as a hurricane late this week. Gulf Coast families know the drill. Board the windows. Gas up the truck. Stock the pantry. Then wait to find out how long the power will be out.
Sometimes it’s hours. After a big storm, it can be days. The line crews work around the clock, and they still can’t reach every street at once.
Now that same grid is being asked to carry something new. Big tech companies are racing to build data centers that can use as much power as entire cities. America should win the AI race. But somebody has to pay for all that power, and it shouldn’t be the family waiting out a hurricane in the dark.
Whoever needs the power should pay for the power.
President Donald Trump already set that rule. His Ratepayer Protection Pledge, signed in March by the biggest AI companies and expanded in July to more than 200 utilities, developers, and states, says data centers build, bring, or buy their own power and pay for their own grid upgrades. That’s the right rule. Here’s how to make it pay off for regular families.
Put power in the home.
A home battery, paired with residential solar, keeps the fridge cold, the well pump running, and the oxygen machine on when the wires are down. The family owns it. Nobody in Washington had to approve it.
So here’s the deal. When a data center comes to town, the developer pays to put batteries in the homes around it. Batteries can go into homes in weeks. A new power plant can take a decade. The company gets its power faster. The local grid gets stronger. The family down the road gets backup power for the next storm and protection from higher bills.
Nobody is forced into anything. Nobody gets drafted into paying someone else’s bill.
What stands in the way isn’t technology. It’s red tape. Too many families who want a battery get stuck in permit lines, inspection backlogs, and utility paperwork. Local governments could fix most of that with one simple checklist and a fast inspection. It wouldn’t cost taxpayers a dime.
Whether a town says yes to a data center is the town’s call. Who pays for the power is not.
XI ISN’T STOPPING TRUMP’S AI AMBITIONS. LOCAL ZONING BOARDS ARE
This weekend, a lot of Gulf Coast families will be sitting in the dark, waiting for the trucks. Next time, they shouldn’t have to.
Build the compute. Build the power. Put power in nearby homes.
Sam Romain is Chairman of Americans for Energy Dominance, a grassroots organization dedicated to securing America’s energy future.