Blackstone, OpenAI, QTS, and SoftBank have joined forces with major U.S. building-trades unions to form the American Infrastructure Alliance, a multimillion-dollar coalition aimed at creating data center development standards and heading off construction moratoriums across seven states1,2.
The alliance plans initial campaigns in Texas, Georgia, Ohio, Iowa, Pennsylvania, Indiana, and South Carolina. Its stated goal is to partner with state and local officials to establish standards and guardrails for data center construction in 2027.
The labor side of the coalition includes the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, the United Association of Union Plumbers and Pipefitters, and other building-trades unions. "Blanket bans on necessary infrastructure projects would set back our economy and threaten good middle-class jobs," said Kenneth Cooper, the IBEW's international president. Mark McManus, general president of the United Association of Union Plumbers and Pipefitters, said the coalition would "chart a clear path forward, so that UA members can continue to protect the health of the nation".
Tag Greason, co-CEO of QTS, the Blackstone-owned data center operator, said "responsible growth requires clear expectations for everyone involved".
The coalition's own polling found that data centers are deeply unpopular in Ohio, with 67% of those surveyed holding an unfavorable opinion and only 18% viewing them favorably. The same polling found that opinions flip when data center developers pledge to keep electricity costs low, create jobs, and generate tax revenue.
The alliance launches against a backdrop of tightening state-level oversight. Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro signed an executive order last month to tighten rules for data center development.
ANALYSIS The coalition's structure pairs capital-intensive AI infrastructure backers with organized labor, a combination designed to neutralize the two most potent political objections to data centers: that they strain local resources without creating lasting jobs, and that they bypass community input. Framing the effort around 2027 standards rather than immediate permitting fights gives the group a longer runway to shape rules before moratoriums take hold.