PRESS RELEASE
Rep. Crane’s Campaign is Bankrolled by Water-Guzzling Data Center Elites He Votes to Benefit
FLAGSTAFF, AZ - Congressman Eli Crane has accepted tens of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from billionaires and companies positioned to profit from the data center boom, even as they threaten the state’s scarce water resources and drive up pressure on local infrastructure.
Crane, meanwhile, voted for massive tax cuts for tech giants set to cash in on the data center boom.
From Copper Courier:
“As data centers pop up across Arizona, US Rep. Eli Crane (R-Flagstaff) has taken campaign cash from the industry while voting in its favor.
“Crane, who has represented the district since 2023, has collected more than $35,000 from donors and companies who stand to profit from the data center boom. At the same time, the congressman has voted for legislation — including President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) — that would ‘significantly lower barriers’ for large data centers, including those built by big tech companies like Amazon and Google.”
Congressman Crane’s campaign donors include the Space Exploration Technologies Corp. PAC (associated with Elon Musk, the world’s richest man), Oracle’s PAC, Pinnacle West Capital Corp.’s PAC, the Salt River Valley Water Users’ Association Political Involvement Committee (affiliated with the Salt River Project), and Koch PAC.
Meanwhile, major technology companies capitalizing on the AI boom, including Amazon, Alphabet, Meta, Microsoft, and Oracle, collectively reported $422 billion in profits while paying an effective federal income tax rate of just 4.5%.
That amounts to roughly $70 billion in tax breaks Crane gave to massive corporations and billionaires as working families struggle with rising costs for gas and groceries.
Crane is putting corporate profits ahead of Arizona’s future. As the state confronts drought and massive Colorado River water cuts, Crane has made Arizona’s water crisis worse. He has failed Arizona in protecting the state’s most precious resource.
SEE ALSO:
Phoenix New Times: Epstein enabler donated to Arizona congressman ahead of files release (9/25/26)
NC State University: America’s Data Center Boom Puts New Pressure on Local Water Resources (9/3/26)
Lincoln Institute of Land Policy: Data Drain: The Land and Water Impacts of the AI Boom (10/27/25)