Sewell breaks with Tuberville, Trump on data centers, backs moratorium bill

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July 23, 2026

U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell (D-Birmingham) wants to hit pause on something U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville has already told Alabamians to get used to.

Sewell is now cosponsoring the AI Data Center Moratorium Act, which would halt new data center construction until Congress puts safeguards in place. The bill was originally introduced by U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortes (D-N.Y.) and U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-Vt.).

It’s a direct contradiction of where Tuberville and President Donald Trump have landed on the issue. Tuberville recently said Alabamians can “forget about doing away with” data centers, saying they’re coming to the state whether anyone likes it or not. Sewell isn’t buying that inevitability argument.

“Alabamians are grappling with the rapid expansion of AI data centers. Many are being proposed in underserved and under-resourced rural and urban communities,” Sewell said. “These facilities come with promises of new investment, job creation, and tax revenue, but they also come with some risks and many many unknowns.”

Today, I'm announcing that I have cosponsored the AI Data Center Moratorium Act.

Alabamians are asking important questions about how the rapid expansion of data centers will impact our water, our environment, and our quality of life. I don't believe we have received sufficient… pic.twitter.com/spYiF0y0Nk

— Rep. Terri A. Sewell (@RepTerriSewell) July 21, 2026

“How will they affect our water, our environment, our property values? Will local communities actually get the benefit that they’re being promised? Who benefits and who bears the costs? Rightfully, Alabamians are asking important questions, and I don’t believe that we have received sufficient answers,” Sewell continued. “For too long, underserved communities have been asked to shoulder disproportionate environmental and economic burdens, while others reap the rewards. As we build the economy of the future, we must ensure that innovation lifts up every community, rather than leaving some to bear the cost.”

The bill wouldn’t ban data centers outright — it would just stop new construction until Congress passes legislation addressing AI’s risks.

“Make no mistake, I am not anti-technology,” Sewell said. “I am not anti-innovation. But it’s clear that these projects are being built faster than we can establish the safeguards our communities deserve. The bill simply says, let’s put common sense guardrails in place before this expansion continues.”

That puts her at odds with two of the loudest data center boosters in the country. Tuberville has framed the industry’s growth as a “gold mine” for Alabama, and Trump has pushed for as much buildout as fast as possible.

“I truly believe that America can lead the world in innovation and compete for the industries of the future,” she said. “We can do that while also protecting our greatest resource, our people, all across Alabama, ordinary people are speaking up. They care about the future of their communities, and they deserve to be heard.”