By Faizan Farooque
Publication Date: 2026-02-20 20:13:00
AI’s boom just got a new storyline. And this time it isn’t about chips.
The newest issue concerns electricity bills, grid reliability, and water. Confused? You shouldn’t be.
Politicians in Washington are facing the heat to prove to consumers they won’t “pick up the tab” for hyperscale data center growth; it’s a bipartisan issue.
Peter Navarro, senior counselor for trade and manufacturing to President Donald Trump, spoke on Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures,” CNBC reported.
And Navarro’s point is not limited to electricity.
“They need to pay, not only pay for the electricity that they’re using on the grid, but they have to pay for the resiliency that they’re affecting as well. They need to pay for the water. So there’s activity, action here going forward, where we force them to internalize the cost.”
Navarro’s…
