Mississippi River Mayors Advocate for AI Infrastructure Protections

Vidalia Mayor Buz Craft joins over 100 river city leaders in DC to support the GRID Act, aimed at shielding local power and water systems from large data centers.

Published on Mar. 10, 2026

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Vidalia, Louisiana Mayor Buz Craft joined more than 100 mayors from communities along the Mississippi River in Washington, D.C. last week to advocate for the passage of the Guaranteeing Rate Insulation from Data Centers (GRID) Act. The bipartisan proposal is designed to protect residential electricity consumers from rising energy costs associated with the influx of large AI data centers, which can strain local power and water infrastructure.

Why it matters

As data centers with high power demands continue to proliferate, there are growing concerns that they could force local communities to build up their electrical capacity, potentially leading to increased household utility bills. The GRID Act aims to address this issue by mandating grid independence for new large data centers and requiring existing facilities to transition to independent power sources.

The details

The GRID Act, introduced in February 2026 by U.S. Senators Josh Hawley and Richard Blumenthal, would require data centers with a power demand of 20 MW or more to have grid independence. It would also mandate that existing data centers transition to independent power sources over a 10-year period. Craft, who serves as the secretary of the Mississippi River Cities and Towns Initiative, said the proposal is designed to protect residential electricity consumers from rising energy costs associated with the influx of large AI data centers, which can use up a lot of local infrastructure with relatively few permanent jobs.

  • The GRID Act was introduced in the U.S. Senate in February 2026.
  • Mayors from over 105 communities and 10 states along the Mississippi River met in Washington, D.C. last week to advocate for the bill.

The players

Buz Craft

The mayor of Vidalia, Louisiana and secretary of the Mississippi River Cities and Towns Initiative.

Josh Hawley

A U.S. Senator who introduced the GRID Act in February 2026.

Richard Blumenthal

A U.S. Senator who introduced the GRID Act in February 2026 alongside Senator Hawley.

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What they’re saying

“These new data centers are not as sexy as you might think" in terms of job creation, said Craft.”

— Buz Craft, Mayor of Vidalia, Louisiana (Natchez Democrat)

What’s next

The U.S. Senate will consider the GRID Act in the coming months, with a vote expected before the end of the year.

The takeaway

The influx of large, power-hungry data centers is straining the infrastructure of communities along the Mississippi River, prompting local leaders to advocate for federal legislation that would protect residential electricity consumers from rising energy costs.