SB235Dead
protect residents from increased utility costs and utility shortages caused by data centers, to clarify authority to regulate data centers, and to modify provisions pertaining to the purchasing of goods and services by a data center.
SB 235 exempts data centers from sales taxes on their purchases and requires data center operators to pay the full cost of their own electricity without shifting expenses to residential customers. The bill also prohibits electric utilities from raising rates or adding surcharges on residential customers to cover data center infrastructure or electricity costs. This protects South Dakota homeowners from subsidizing the utility expenses of large data center operations.