California Tightens Rules on AI Data Center Energy and Water Use
Governor Newsom signed seven data centre bills on 21 September 2026, covering electricity reporting, water disclosure under penalty of perjury, cost causation for grid and water upgrades, and the removal of CEQA categorical exemptions. Read as enacted, the package carries a 10 megawatt reporting floor, a 25 megawatt cap on the tariff threshold, binding deadlines in 2028 and a first published load assessment in 2029. SB 887 also creates a fast track with eleven conditions, including hourly zero-carbon matching within five years. This article goes through all seven statutes and the numbers inside them.
