Kentucky

Energy/Power is the dominant stressor: the debate repeatedly centers on grid upgrades, transmission buildout, and the fear that residential ratepayers will subsidize data-center load growth. Kentucky LRC HB 593, WDRB Water/Geology is the clear second-order stressor: lawmakers and local opponents are pressing for water-feasibility studies, usage reporting, and concern about cooling demand, discharge, and aquifer/surface-water impacts. Kentucky LRC HB 856, WDRB

U.S. Senate: candidates have made AI/data-center policy a real issue in the open primary, especially around cost shifts and regulation. Republicans Andy Barr (U.S. Rep.) and Daniel Cameron (former AG) both back federal AI preemption, but Cameron says data-center power costs must not be shifted to residents; Nate Morris (tech entrepreneur) also supports preemption; Michael Faris rejects it. Democrats Pamela Stevenson (state House minority floor leader), Charles Booker (former U.S. Senate candidate), Logan Forsythe (attorney), Morgan McGrath, and David Romans are more receptive to state/local control, with Booker explicitly calling for a moratorium on new data-center construction and McGrath calling for utility upgrades to be paid by the companies, not taxpayers. Lexington Herald-Leader No other 2026 federal/state/local races with clearly identifiable data-center salience were found in the sources reviewed; Kentucky’s House races and the governor’s race did not surface data-center-specific campaign positioning in the available reporting.

Kentucky does not appear to have a statewide data-center moratorium or ban as of May 2026. At the local level, Oldham County adopted a 150-day pause on new data-center applications in July 2025 and later extended its moratorium; the county’s public notices list “Data Center Moratorium” and “Data Center Moratorium (Extension)” as adopted ordinances. WDRB, Oldham County Fiscal Court Louisville Metro has been working on a new ordinance to create safeguards for future data-center development, but it was still in progress rather than a formal moratorium. WDRB

HB 593 is the main 2026 ratepayer/cost-allocation bill. It would require data-center contracts to ensure new infrastructure and operating costs are borne by the data-center customer, require a tariff/application process, impose a nonrefundable fee, and require studies showing no adverse rate impact on other customers; the House passed it 90-8 and it was pending in the Senate. Kentucky LRC HB 593, Courier-Journal HB 544 is a narrower companion-style bill: it would block service to >100 MW data-center customers unless the PSC approves a tariff/contract that puts all capital and operating costs for new infrastructure on the customer and allocates shared benefits proportionally; it was introduced and sent to committee. Kentucky LRC HB 544 HB 856 adds water-disclosure guardrails rather than ratepayer rules, requiring a water feasibility study and annual water-usage reports. Kentucky LRC HB 856

None identified. Ballotpedia’s 2026 ballot-measure inventory does not show a Kentucky data-center measure in the sources reviewed, and no Kentucky county/city measure surfaced in reporting. Ballotpedia

1) Camp Ground Road / Shively hyperscale campus, Louisville (Poe Companies + PowerHouse Data Centers): proposed in 2025, approved by local processes in 2026, but still facing neighborhood opposition over power, water, and environmental impacts. WDRB 2) Project Lincoln / KY 53 data center, Oldham County: originally a proposed 267-acre campus by Western Hospitality Partners; withdrawn in July 2025 after backlash and the county’s moratorium. WDRB 3) Meade County/Ekron IT infrastructure facility: proposed rezoning for roughly 135 acres near Ekron was voted down in October 2025 amid utility-cost and water concerns. Courier-Journal

We Are Oldham County; affected Louisville neighborhood groups and west-end community leaders opposing the Camp Ground Road project; Mercer County residents’ petition network opposing a Burgin-area proposal; Meade County residents/opponents at fiscal-court hearings; local preservation/environmental advocates tied to the Louisville Metro and Oldham County fights. WDRB, WDRB, Courier-Journal

None identified at the state political-surface layer as of May 2026. Talent and workforce dynamics in Kentucky surface primarily at the sub-state and labor-market level — county and municipal proceedings on named projects, regional building trades council positions, and utility commission workforce testimony — which are out of scope for the tracker's state-political-surface read. Request a full RAIL briefing for sub-state and labor-market analysis.

Emerging. Kentucky is not yet a major hub, but it has one first large hyperscale project in Louisville and multiple contested county proposals; the known in-state footprint is still small relative to leading data-center states. WDRB, Kentucky.com

“We want them to put up a bond to make sure we’re covered if something happens... If the water is dirty or the electricity runs out, we want protection.” — Rev. Jerome Sutton, quoted by WDRB on the Louisville Camp Ground Road project. WDRB

Kentucky LRC HB 593, Kentucky LRC HB 544, Kentucky LRC HB 856, WDRB on Louisville hyperscale project, WDRB on Oldham County withdrawal, Lexington Herald-Leader on Senate candidates and AI