Chronopin: upcoming release dates, events and other important dates

Kansas SB 400 would require data centers to use closed-loop cooling systems (no water evaporation) and authorize municipalities, local district attorneys, and the state attorney general to sue for injunctions against violators. Introduced as part of the 2026 wave of state-level data center water/energy regulation legislation. Kansas is shifting focus from incentives (SB 98 passed in 2025 created a hyperscale sales tax exemption) to environmental regulation. The Kansas City Council changed zoning in January 2026 to make data centers harder to build, signaling local-level pushback complementing state legislation. VERIFIED 2026-05-26: SB 400 (closed-loop cooling / AG enforcement) died in committee when Kansas adjourned sine die April 11, 2026.

Alaska HB 259 (introduced January 2026 by Rep. Donna Mears) would require large energy facilities (peak demand ≥20 MW) to enter community benefit agreements with the host municipality and pay for at least 80% of contracted power amount regardless of actual purchases (a take-or-pay structure mirroring the RPP). Companion bill SB 250 also pending. Anchorage Assembly preemptively adopted data center regulations in March 2026 and overrode a mayor's veto on a related partnership. A separate Mat-Su data center plan is in doubt after a mayor veto in March 2026. The bills are responses to growing AI-driven data center interest in Alaska. VERIFIED 2026-05-26: Alaska adjourned sine die May 20, 2026; HB 259 (stuck in House Energy) and SB 250 (never scheduled) both died.

HB 4424, filed by House Speaker Kyle Hilbert (R-Bristow), ends data center eligibility for Oklahoma's property tax exemption program — which covers facility property taxes for the first five years — for facilities not operational by January 1, 2027. Hilbert previously authored a 2021 law excluding new data centers from the exemption but now seeks to close loopholes for facilities that qualified before that cutoff. The bill is part of a broader push as Oklahoma residents push back against data center impacts on energy bills, water supplies, and noise. VERIFIED 2026-05-26: HB 4424 (end data center tax exemptions) stalled in House Appropriations & Budget and effectively died; only HB 2992 survived among OK data center bills.

Multiple bills introduced in RI legislature. Rep. Brian Patrick Kennedy's bill would require data centers with 50+ MW demand to cover all electricity infrastructure costs. Three bills introduced in the General Assembly, though lawmakers still debating how to even define 'data center.' Tax incentive proposals also under debate.

Virginia SB 619 / HB 155 requires a State Corporation Commission certificate before data centers over 90 MW can operate. The SCC issues a certificate only if the facility has no material adverse effect on other customers' rates, reliability, or the utility's ability to meet Virginia Clean Economy Act goals. This represents one of the strongest state-level data center permitting requirements in the country.

WV House Bill 2014 (2025) created a certified microgrid program and set policies for data centers, stripping local government jurisdiction over 'high-impact' data centers (90+ MW) and diverting property tax revenue. In 2026, bills to restore local control (HB 5590, HB 5620) and require water usage disclosure were introduced but blocked. HB 4983 passed 78-16, bundling rulemaking to limit transparency. On April 1, 2026, West Virginia Watch published a call for a state moratorium, noting HB 2014 bans local governments from enforcing noise, pollution, zoning, lighting, viewshed, or land use rules against certified data center projects. Sen. Joey Garcia's bill to restore local control has not received a hearing. WV MetroNews published an April 7 analysis of the 'data center development dilemma.'