BPI Proposes $4,500-$8,900 'Data Center Dividends' for Rural Counties
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Washington – September 15, 2026 -- Rural counties hosting AI data centers could pay every household between $4,500 and $8,900 a year without raising taxes or imposing new costs on developers, according to a report published by the Bitcoin Policy Institute (BPI).
Local Opposition Now Outpaces Energy Supply as the Top Barrier to Data Center Construction
The number of local data center moratoria enacted across the U.S. rose from six in 2024 to 294 in 2026, the report states. A March Gallup poll found 71% of Americans would oppose an AI data center in their area, compared with 53% who would oppose a nuclear power plant nearby.