The Senate’s top investor in data center companies is one of two Democrats leading the push for a permitting deal that would make it easier to build the power infrastructure the industry needs to expand.
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), the ranking Democrat on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, negotiated and introduced the Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act with Sens. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Mike Lee (R-Utah) and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) on Sept. 30. The package would exempt some energy infrastructure projects from federal environmental review, narrow communities’ ability to challenge those projects in court, and limit states’ authority to deny water-quality approvals for pipelines and other projects. Its sponsors are seeking passage after the midterm elections.
Whitehouse and his wife hold up to $12.3 million in AI-related stocks, with their largest holding being between $1.3 million and $6.7 million in Nvidia stock. They held another $2.1 million to $4.6 million in Microsoft, Alphabet, Amazon, Oracle and Meta, companies building and operating the data centers driving demand for more electricity. An Oct. 6 Forbes analysis placed Whitehouse first among all senators for data center investments.
