OpenAI released a National Community Compact and Compute Campus Policy Blueprint on November 5, 2026, committing every future campus it owns and operates to pay its own electricity and grid costs, avoid NDAs with public officials, disclose water and power usage publicly, post financial guarantees if a project is cancelled, and fund local community priorities. The company committed $80 million in Effingham County, GA and $40 million in Pike County, OH for locally chosen priorities. The compact establishes a national baseline while requiring a locally tailored version at each campus, and OpenAI will publish annual public reports on progress. The commitments are not described as legally binding and apply only to sites OpenAI owns and operates, not partner-owned facilities such as those run by Oracle.
The compact followed a midterm election in which Ballotpedia counted 46 of 47 local data center ballot measures trending toward tighter limits, including an 83% vote to ban data centers in Alhambra, CA and 82% backing a 180-day pause in Wells, ME. OpenAI had also rebranded its data centers as 'AI compute campuses' as part of the policy initiative, launched during the lame-duck session as data centers had become a political liability across both parties.
Separately, OpenAI announced the Grid Protectors Program to work directly with utilities. The first deal, with Georgia Power, allows cuts of up to 1,000 MW from OpenAI's planned Effingham County campus during demand peaks such as heat waves. The Effingham County campus is a $30 billion project expected to launch in 2028; at maximum curtailment the campus would still draw around 2,200 MW of its roughly 3,200 MW total need. Georgia Power said it aims to ensure large energy users bring value through reliability and lower prices.
The companion blueprint proposes that governments codify these practices as rules for all operators: large power users would be required to cover the grid costs they add, and campuses could connect to the grid faster by agreeing to curtail demand at peak times. An October Senate investigation found companies disputed how much they should pay for shared-grid upgrades triggered by their projects. Microsoft pledged in January to cover electricity infrastructure costs and stop seeking lower property tax rates; Amazon's Built Together initiative promises over $1 billion over five years for local priorities.