Senators advanced a bill Wednesday regulating large, private energy projects, specifically relating to data centers.
The debate came after Flatwater Free Press reported that Google plans to build a data center in Nebraska that will use as much power as the city of Lincoln.
Senators were divided on the bill, which lays out financial requirements for any private company that wants to build a large project in the state, requiring that the project connect to a public utility to power it and pay for the necessary upgrades. Several lawmakers supported the bill, arguing that any such upgrades would otherwise be paid for by ratepayers rather than a private company.