Pete Ricketts on Artificial Intelligence and Data Centers: The ImagiNE Act's $519 Million in Data-Center Tax Exemptions, Votes on the Power Data Centers Need, and DOGE's AI Tools

As Nebraska governor, Pete Ricketts recruited Facebook's Papillion data center in 2017 and on August 17, 2020 signed into law Legislative Bill 1107, the ImagiNE Nebraska Act. From 2021 to mid-2026, data centers received $519 million in estimated property tax exemptions under the program, according to figures from the governor's office, and his successor ended the incentives for new data centers in July 2026, saying Nebraska ranks second in the country for the percentage of electricity spent on data centers, at 11.5%.

As a senator, Ricketts voted on July 1, 2025 for the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (roll call 372), which ends tax credits for wind and solar facilities placed in service after December 31, 2027 as data centers add record demand to the grid. In October 2026 he wrote that "Nebraskans should not be responsible for footing the bill for data centers".

Pete Ricketts's Actions, Votes and Statements on AI and Data Centers

• As Nebraska Governor, Ricketts Signed the ImagiNE Act, Under Which Data Centers Took $519 Million in Property Tax Exemptions. On April 4, 2017, Governor Ricketts announced that Facebook selected Papillion as the site of its newest data center, and on August 17, 2020 he signed into law Legislative Bill 1107, the ImagiNE Nebraska Act, the state business incentive program data centers went on to use. Figures from the governor's office show $519 million in estimated property tax exemptions for data centers from January 1, 2021 to June 30, 2026, on $15 billion of exempted personal property. Governor Jim Pillen said data centers' share of the state's electricity has prevented other businesses from expanding in Nebraska and barred new data centers from the program in July 2026.
• Ricketts Cast a Deciding Vote to Cut Credits for New Power Supply as Data-Center Demand Surged. On July 1, 2025, Ricketts voted yes on the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which passed 50-50 with the Vice President's tie-breaking vote and ends credits for any applicable facility placed in service after December 31, 2027 that uses wind or solar. The Union of Concerned Scientists puts the wholesale power costs attributable to data center-driven demand growth range from $411 billion to $524 billion from 2026 through 2035.
• Ricketts Voted Against Requiring Budget Bills to Lower Home Electricity Bills in April 2026. On April 23, 2026, Ricketts voted no on a motion to create a point of order against legislation that would not decrease home electricity bills; it failed 48-50. In February 2025 he had voted against a similar rule against legislation that would raise energy costs for Americans. In the Omaha Public Power District's territory, data centers used 21% of the electricity the utility sold in 2024, up from 1% in 2018, and are projected to reach 41% by 2035.
• Ricketts Voted Against Cutting Off Money for DOGE in March 2025. On March 14, 2025, Ricketts voted no on Senator Chris Van Hollen's amendment to prohibit the use of appropriated amounts by DOGE; it failed 48-52. DOGE went on to use AI across agencies: at the Department of Housing and Urban Development, a DOGE operative was tasked with using artificial intelligence to rewrite the agency's rules and regulations, and at Social Security a whistleblower says a former DOGE employee copied the Social Security numbers, names and birthdays of over 300 million Americans into a cloud system without independent oversight, which the agency disputes.
• Ricketts Confirmed the Veterans Affairs Secretary Under Whom a DOGE AI Tool Flagged Contracts for Cancellation. On February 4, 2025, Ricketts voted to confirm Doug Collins as secretary of veterans affairs. ProPublica reported in June 2025 that the DOGE AI tool flagged more than 2,000 contracts at the VA for cancellation and that it hallucinated the size of contracts, frequently misreading them and inflating their value; canceled contracts included one to maintain a gene sequencing device used to develop better cancer treatments.
• Ricketts Confirmed the Energy Secretary Who Kept Coal Plants Open, Citing Data-Center Demand. On February 3, 2025, Ricketts voted to confirm Chris Wright as secretary of energy. His department's emergency orders to keep retiring coal plants running carry out an executive order that cited demand driven by rapid technological advancements, including the expansion of artificial intelligence data centers; IEEFA counted at least $300 million in extra costs through mid-May 2026 for ratepayers.
• Ricketts Said Nebraskans Should Not Foot the Bill for Data Centers; the Program He Signed Exempted Them From $519 Million in Property Taxes. On October 2, 2026, Ricketts wrote in his weekly column: "Nebraskans should not be responsible for footing the bill for data centers." The ImagiNE Act he signed as governor had by then given data centers $519 million in property tax exemptions, and in July 2026 his successor said the credits data centers had received were "too much".

What Data Centers and the Policies Pete Ricketts Backed Mean for Nebraska

• Electricity. Governor Pillen said Nebraska ranks second in the U.S. for the percentage of electricity spent on data centers, at 11.5%, and the Omaha utility now has less than 100 megawatts of available power capacity for new or expanding large customers, Flatwater Free Press reported in October 2026.
• Local opposition. Across Nebraska, from North Platte to Nebraska City, local governments have been addressing data center development through moratoriums and recall votes amid community concern, KOLN reported in July 2026.

Frequently Asked Questions About Pete Ricketts on Artificial intelligence and data centers

Last updated: 2026-10-25

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