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Read. Follow. Verify.Indiana Senate Bill 79 Establishes Data Center Working Group, Mandates Electricity Reporting, and Requires Local Permit Assessments
Last action · January 6, 2026: Senator Deery added as second authorSponsors: J.D. Ford and 1 other
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What This Bill Proposed
Indiana Senate Bill 79 requires the utility regulatory commission to establish a working group to estimate future electricity demands and report findings by October 31, 2026. The measure mandates that data center operators submit quarterly electricity usage reports and requires local authorities to conduct site assessments and collect power and water usage projections before issuing construction permits.
operators face new reporting obligations regarding energy consumption, while local governments must perform environmental and resource assessments before issuing construction permits.
- Data centers have expanded rapidly, creating new challenges for local electrical grids and water resources. context
- The Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission regulates retail utility services across the state. context
Who It Would Have Affected
Groups the bill's text would have affected, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Data center operators
Operators must submit quarterly reports detailing electricity usage disaggregated by source and disclose projected power and water usage to local authorities before obtaining construction permits.
Electricity suppliers
Suppliers participate in the working group to help determine estimates of future electricity demands from the data center industry.
Local authorities
Counties, municipalities, and townships must require power and water disclosures and perform site assessments prior to issuing data center construction permits.
Key Facts
- The Indiana utility regulatory commission must establish a working group to estimate future electricity demands of the data center industry.
- The working group must submit a report containing its findings and recommendations to the general assembly no later than October 31, 2026.
- The working group section expires on January 1, 2027.
- Data center operators in Indiana must submit quarterly reports to the commission detailing the amount and source of electricity used in the preceding quarter.
Show all 7 facts
- The commission must publish aggregated and deidentified summaries of reported electricity usage on its website.
- Local authorities must require applicants to disclose projected power and water usage at full operating capacity before issuing a data center construction permit.
- Local authorities must perform a site assessment examining impacts on water usage, the electrical grid, carbon emissions, and agricultural, historic, and cultural resources before issuing a data center permit.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the main purpose of the working group established under the bill?
What information must data center operators report to the commission?
What requirements must local units fulfill before issuing a construction permit for a data center?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
This bill did not become law - Died at adjournment · in Senate committee.
Procedural history
3 actions- Jan 6, 2026SenateSenator Deery added as second author
- Dec 8, 2025SenateIntroducedFirst reading: referred to Committee on Utilities
- Dec 8, 2025SenateAuthored by Senator Ford J.D.
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Introduction of Mandated State-Level Data Center Monitoring
The measure establishes a formal cross-sector working group and continuous quarterly reporting to track electricity consumption specifically driven by data centers.
Connected Entities
Sources
iga.in.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 65)
- Controversy40Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz55Current news / social attention level
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