American Infrastructure Alliance Launches Coalition for Responsible Data Center Growth
News related to:American Infrastructure Alliance · 2 min read
WASHINGTON, Sept. 28, 2026 /CourierPR/ -- The American Infrastructure Alliance (AIA) has launched a nationwide coalition aimed at establishing responsible guardrails for data center development. This initiative, involving labor unions and major businesses, seeks to protect water resources, control energy costs, and ensure local communities benefit from the growth of data centers. The coalition's inaugural members include the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), The International Association of Iron Workers, The United Association of Union Plumbers and Pipefitters (UA), The International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers (SMART), and several leading data center companies such as QTS, SoftBank, SB Energy, OpenAI, Blackstone, CoreWeave, Prologis, Skybox, Rowan, American Real Estate Partners (AREP) and its vertically integrated data center platform, PowerHouse Data Centers, Related Digital, and Digital Realty.
The AIA's goal is to support and shape coordination between industry, labor, local communities, and elected officials to advance the long-term investment that data centers bring to communities and regions across the country. While AIA is not focused on the upcoming election, the coalition's work will begin ahead of and continue through the 2027 state legislative sessions, establishing approaches that can carry this work forward for years to come.
AIA's approach is grounded in its own polling across key states, which shows support for data center development shifting from deep skepticism to clear majority support, once enforceable guardrails are proposed and detailed. The coalition's goals include protecting water and local resources, requiring projects to pay their own way, creating good jobs and long-term workforce opportunities, delivering visible local benefits, and ensuring operators are accountable.
AIA's key operating states currently include Texas, Georgia, Ohio, Iowa, Pennsylvania, Indiana, and South Carolina. Efforts in these states will be led by local initiatives with potential for further state expansion over time.
The coalition's work is part of a broader effort to modernize infrastructure and create good jobs while protecting communities. By establishing clear guardrails, AIA aims to ensure that data center development benefits both the economy and the environment.