The National Data Center Resource Library
What to read before the first hearing.
Sources on data centers from federal agencies, state legislatures, local governments, researchers and the industry itself.
Start here
Three briefings for your council.
Short, printable and quoted from the sources in this library. Take the one that fits the question in front of you.
PDF, two pages
Before the First Hearing
For any council: how fast demand is growing, how residents are reacting, who pays for the power, and questions to ask before the first hearing.
Download →PDF, two pages
Data Centers in Missouri and Kansas
Power rules and tax breaks in both states, and what seven nearby communities have done.
Download →PDF, two pages
What Other Places Require
For planners: what adopted ordinances require for setbacks, noise, generator testing and water, next to national guidance.
Download →How to use the library
- Start with the collection that fits your question.
- Use the topic buttons to jump within a collection.
- Open the original before you cite anything.
- Copy the “Cite as” line into your staff report.
Five collections
Start with your question.
42 sources
Federal data, national labs and the grid
What federal agencies, national laboratories and grid reliability bodies have published on data center electricity demand, reliability and costs.
See a sample →38 sources
State policy, incentives and utility rates
State laws, legislative studies, tax incentives, moratorium proposals and the utility rate decisions that decide who pays for new power.
See a sample →44 sources
Local planning, zoning and ordinances
Adopted ordinances, overlay districts, siting standards and guidance for the planning commission and the council.
See a sample →34 sources
Community impacts and public opinion
Water, noise, air, land, jobs, taxes, property values, public health and what residents across the country say they think.
See a sample →29 sources
Industry, markets and technical explainers
How the industry describes itself, the standards it uses, the market reports it reads, and plain-language explainers. Industry-funded material is labeled.
See a sample →State by state
Sources for 20 states.
The state-by-state index comes with the full library. States covered:
Arizona, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin
About this library
Why we put this together.
When a data center shows up on an agenda, the questions come fast, and the answers are scattered across federal reports, utility filings, state bills and local ordinances. We wanted one place a council member, a planner or a neighbor could start. We read what we list, and if we only got through part of a long report, we tell you which part. If something sat behind a paywall or the link was dead, we left it out.
Each entry includes
- Who published it, when, and a link.
- A short description of what it covers.
- Quotes taken directly from the source.
- Who should read it.
- Its limits, including who paid for it.
- A citation for your staff report.
We update the library as new information becomes available. No one paid to be listed, and government, industry and advocacy sources sit side by side, each one labeled.
The full library
The full library comes with The Nash Group Data Center Briefing.
The collections show a sample. Every source, the state-by-state index and the spreadsheet are held for paid subscribers. The free list includes the monthly headlines digest, one full sample issue and this library sample.
by Dr. Troy Nash
Every two weeks: what changed for data centers across the country, and what it means. Each plan, and what it includes, is listed on the briefing page.
Is a data center coming to your community?
If you want an independent read before the first hearing, we can help.