09/14/2026
Ohio lost $1,500,000,000 ($1.5 billion) in tax revenue from data centers because of tax exemptions. So far North Dakota has lost $94,500,000 in tax revenue. In a previous Facebook post I said that Anna Novak voted for this tax exemption and she pointed out this was not true. I apologize. This is her record on data centers.
Representative Anna Novak, a member of the supermajority party, has pushed heavily for these data center expansions but has failed to be an influential leader in addressing the specific, pressing concerns of local communities. Notably, her direct support for the state's $500 million pipeline backstop through her "Yea" vote on SB 2014 demonstrates a willingness to leverage taxpayer funds for industry infrastructure.
Demonstrating her unabashed support for these developments and the accompanying tax incentive structure, Novak has publicly stated, “This is an opportunity for us to grow the pie. What I like so much about it is that it doesn’t take away from coal and it allows us the opportunity to continue to grow our economy” (https://www.ndenergy.org/Newsletter/Energize-ND/Data-Centers-Term-Limits-Dominate-Panel).
She consistently frames these projects as transformative for the local tax base—estimating massive job creation—while downplaying the immediate infrastructural and financial burdens placed on the communities she represents.
While Rep. Novak introduced House Bill 1579—which initially would have required data center developers to obtain a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity to provide state Public Service Commission oversight—she was unable to shepherd it to success against industry pressure [cite: 1, 4]. During the 2025 legislative session, heavy industry lobbying defeated the regulatory safeguards of HB 1579, reducing it to a non-binding interim study and leaving a massive regulatory vacuum. Because she and the supermajority refused to call for a more constrained approach, utility ratepayers now face looming utility bill spikes to pay for massive electric grid upgrades required by these tech facilities, and local communities are left without state-level protections or coordinated siting standards.
Amazon, Meta and Google risk losing decadeslong exemptions due to a backlash against their facilities
