Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) is renewing his push for sweeping federal restrictions on the Super Intelligence industry, calling for a nationwide moratorium on new data center construction, a pause on advanced system development and a permanent ban on superintelligence. Sanders renewed the demands Wednesday after pointing to local election results in which voters rejected data center projects and construction proposals across much of the country.

“7 months ago, AOC and I introduced an AI data center moratorium. Last night, 43 of 44 communities voted for one locally. Americans don’t want Big Tech oligarchs wrecking the environment, gutting jobs and threatening humanity’s future. NATIONAL DATA CENTER MORATORIUM NOW,” Sanders wrote on X.

Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) introduced the Artificial Intelligence Data Center Moratorium Act in March. The legislation would halt construction of new data centers until Congress establishes national safeguards addressing worker protections, consumer safety, civil rights, and environmental concerns. It also seeks to prevent data centers from driving up electricity costs and harming communities through their demands for power and water.

The proposal would also restrict U.S. exports of computing infrastructure to countries that do not have safeguards in place. Sanders has argued that the rapid expansion of data centers is allowing major technology companies to make decisions with significant consequences for American workers and communities without sufficient public oversight.

His latest comments come as opposition to data center construction has become a growing political issue. Voters considered dozens of local measures concerning data center development during Tuesday’s elections, with nearly all of the 41 measures tracked by Ballotpedia going against the projects. The results have added momentum to calls for additional restrictions, although local ballot measures do not establish a nationwide policy.

Sanders has also called for restrictions on the development of increasingly advanced systems. In September, he and Rep. Greg Casar (D-Texas) announced the Ban Artificial Superintelligence Act, which would permanently prohibit the development and deployment of superintelligence while temporarily pausing advanced development until federal safety regulations are established.

The legislation would create a new federal agency to oversee the technology, monitor advanced systems for dangerous capabilities, and require government approval before certain systems could be deployed. Violations could carry penalties of up to 20 years in prison for individuals, while companies could face severe penalties, including being barred from operating.

Sanders has argued that systems capable of exceeding human intelligence could eventually operate beyond human control, presenting risks to national security and the future of humanity. He has also called for international agreements to prevent superintelligence from being developed in other countries, arguing that restrictions limited to the United States would not adequately address the threat he describes.

The proposals would impose substantial restrictions on an industry that has become central to American technology investment and competition with China. Supporters of the measures have raised concerns about worker displacement, energy consumption, environmental effects, and the potential risks of increasingly powerful systems. Critics of broad development restrictions, however, have warned that slowing American development could put the United States at a disadvantage if competing countries continue advancing the technology.

Neither proposal has become law. Sanders’ renewed demands place the future of data center construction and advanced technology development squarely in the growing debate over how much authority the federal government should exercise over the industry.