H0895 • 2026

DATA CENTERS – Adds to existing law to establish limitations on consumptive use of water for cooling certain data centers.

Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor: WAYS AND MEANS COMMITTEE
Last action: 2026-04-02
Official status: LAW
Effective date: 2026-07-01

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

DATA CENTERS – Adds to existing law to establish limitations on consumptive use of water for cooling certain data centers.

What This Bill Does

DATA CENTERS – Adds to existing law to establish limitations on consumptive use of water for cooling certain data centers.

Limits and Unknowns

This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Bill History

2026-04-02 Idaho State Legislature
Reported Signed by Governor on April 2, 2026 Session Law Chapter 291 Effective: 07/01/2026
2026-04-01 Idaho State Legislature
Reported Enrolled; Signed by Speaker; Transmitted to Senate
2026-04-01 Idaho State Legislature
Received from the House enrolled/signed by Speaker
2026-04-01 Idaho State Legislature
Signed by President; returned to House
2026-04-01 Idaho State Legislature
Returned Signed by the President; Ordered Transmitted to Governor
2026-04-01 Idaho State Legislature
Delivered to Governor at 4:12 p.m. on April 1, 2026
2026-03-31 Idaho State Legislature
Read third time in full – PASSED - 32-1-2 AYES – Adams, Bernt, Bjerke(Bjerke), Blaylock, Burtenshaw, Carlson, Cook, Den Hartog, Foreman, Grow, Guthrie, Harris, Hart, Keyser, Kohl, Lakey, Lenney, Lent, Nichols, Okuniewicz, Rabe, Ricks, Ruchti, Semmelroth, Shippy, Taylor, Toews, VanOrden, Ward-Engelking, Woodward, Zito, Zuiderveld NAYS – Galloway Absent and excused – Anthon, Wintrow Floor Sponsor - Burtenshaw Title apvd - to House
2026-03-31 Idaho State Legislature
Returned from Senate Passed; to JRA for Enrolling
2026-03-27 Idaho State Legislature
Read second time; filed for Third Reading
2026-03-26 Idaho State Legislature
Reported out of Committee with Do Pass Recommendation; Filed for second reading
2026-03-23 Idaho State Legislature
Received from the House passed; filed for first reading
2026-03-23 Idaho State Legislature
Introduced, read first time; referred to: Resources & Environment
2026-03-20 Idaho State Legislature
Read second time; Filed for Third Reading
2026-03-20 Idaho State Legislature
Rules Suspended: Ayes 70 Nays 0 Abs/Excd 0, read in full as required – PASSED - 58-10-2 AYES – Barbieri, Berch, Bingham, Boyle, Bruce, Burgoyne, Cannon, Cheatum, Church, Cornilles, Crane(12), Crane(13), Dygert, Egbert, Ehardt, Ehlers, Erickson, Fuhriman, Furniss, Galaviz, Gannon, Garner, Green, Hall(Stone), Handy, Haws, Healey, Holtzclaw, Hostetler, Leavitt, Manwaring, Marmon, Mathias, McCann, Mendive, Mickelsen, Miller, Mitchell, Monks, Nelsen, Palmer, Petzke, Pickett, Pohanka, Raybould, Raymond, Redman, Rubel, Sauter, Shepherd, Shirts, Tanner(14), Thompson, Vander Woude, Veile, Weber, Wheeler, Mr. Speaker NAYS – Beiswenger, Cayler, Harris, Hawkins, Price, Rasor, Scott, Skaug, Tanner(13), Wisniewski Absent – Alfieri, Hill Floor Sponsor - Raybould Title apvd - to Senate
2026-03-19 Idaho State Legislature
Reported out of Committee with Do Pass Recommendation, Filed for Second Reading
2026-03-16 Idaho State Legislature
Reported Printed and Referred to Resources & Conservation
2026-03-13 Idaho State Legislature
Introduced, read first time, referred to JRA for Printing

Official Summary Text

DATA CENTERS – Adds to existing law to establish limitations on consumptive use of water for cooling certain data centers.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

LEGISLATURE
OF
THE
STATE
OF
IDAHO
Sixty-eighth
Legislature
Second
Regular
Session
-
2026
IN
THE
HOUSE
OF
REPRESENTATIVES
HOUSE
BILL
NO.
895
BY
WAYS
AND
MEANS
COMMITTEE
AN
ACT
1
RELATING
TO
DATA
CENTERS;
PROVIDING
LEGISLATIVE
FINDINGS
AND
INTENT;
AMEND
-
2
ING
CHAPTER
2,
TITLE
42,
IDAHO
CODE,
BY
THE
ADDITION
OF
A
NEW
SECTION
3
42
-
252,
IDAHO
CODE,
TO
ESTABLISH
LIMITATIONS
FOR
CONSUMPTIVE
USE
OF
WA
-
4
TER
FOR
DATA
CENTERS;
AND
DECLARING
AN
EMERGENCY
AND
PROVIDING
AN
EFFEC
-
5
TIVE
DATE.
6
Be
It
Enacted
by
the
Legislature
of
the
State
of
Idaho:
7
SECTION
1.
LEGISLATIVE
FINDINGS
AND
INTENT.
(1)
The
Legislature
finds
8
that
data
centers,
as
defined
in
section
63
-
3622VV,
Idaho
Code,
require
sig
-
9
nificant
amounts
of
water,
and,
therefore,
finds,
for
purposes
of
sections
10
42
-
202A
and
42
-
222,
Idaho
Code,
that
the
water
required
by
data
centers:
1
1
(a)
Conflicts
with
the
local
public
interest
as
defined
in
section
12
42
-
202B,
Idaho
Code;
13
(b)
Is
contrary
to
the
conservation
of
water
resources
within
the
state
14
of
Idaho;
and
15
(c)
Will
adversely
affect
the
local
economy
of
the
watershed
or
local
16
area
within
which
the
source
of
water
for
the
proposed
use
originates,
17
in
the
case
where
the
place
of
use
is
outside
of
the
watershed
or
local
18
area
where
the
source
of
water
originates.
19
(2)
The
Legislature
further
finds
that
the
director
of
the
Department
20
of
Water
Resources
is
required
to
make
findings
related
to
these
criteria
21
when
evaluating
a
new
appropriation
or
transfer
of
existing
water
rights
for
22
data
centers,
and
it
is
the
intent
of
the
Legislature
for
the
director
to
23
consider
these
legislative
findings
regarding
the
data
center's
consumptive
24
use
and
its
impacts
to
Idaho's
water
supply.
25
SECTION
2.
That
Chapter
2,
Title
42,
Idaho
Code,
be,
and
the
same
is
26
hereby
amended
by
the
addition
thereto
of
a
NEW
SECTION
,
to
be
known
and
des
-
27
ignated
as
Section
42
-
252,
Idaho
Code,
and
to
read
as
follows:
28
42
-
252.
LIMITATIONS
ON
CONSUMPTIVE
USE
-
-
DATA
CENTERS.
Data
centers,
29
as
that
term
is
defined
in
section
63
-
3622VV,
Idaho
Code,
that
begin
con
-
30
struction
on
or
after
July
1,
2026,
may
not
use
water
for
cooling
purposes
31
as
a
consumptive
use,
unless
the
water
is
supplied
by
a
municipal,
water
dis
-
32
trict,
or
water
and
sewer
district
water
system.
33
SECTION
3.
An
emergency
existing
therefor,
which
emergency
is
hereby
34
declared
to
exist,
this
act
shall
be
in
full
force
and
effect
on
and
after
35
July
1,
2026.
36