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House passes Ratepayer Protection Act on data-center power costs; Senate blocks it
Washington, District of ColumbiaPublished 17 Sep 2026
Noclip / Wikimedia Commons, Public domain · source
The House voted 417-3 to have states consider making large data centers pay for grid upgrades. Sen. Martin Heinrich then blocked a unanimous-consent Senate pass, calling the bill toothless.
The House on Sept. 16 passed the bipartisan Ratepayer Protection Act 417-3, directing state utility regulators to consider rules that would make large data centers cover the full incremental cost of power upgrades. Three progressive Democrats voted no. On Sept. 17 Sen. Martin Heinrich blocked Sen. Jon Husted’s unanimous-consent request, saying the bill only asks states to consider the standard. The measure now sits with the Senate as the House has left for the midterms.
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House passes bill aimed at addressing impact of data centers on energy costs
Published 16 Sep 2026 accessed 17 Sep 2026
Facts
Supporters described the bill as a modest first start in protecting families and businesses from higher utility bills.
Some lawmakers are calling for a full moratorium on AI data centers until safeguards are in place.
More than 100 Democrats signed a letter asking Speaker Johnson to keep the House in session this month until Congress advances AI safeguards.
Frank Pallone is the ranking Democrat on the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
Trump posted that communities opposed to data centers must want to end up backwards and poor.
Pallone said Americans have real concerns about what data centers will mean for them.
An AP-NORC and University of Chicago poll found nearly two-thirds of Americans extremely or very concerned about data centers’ impact on energy prices and 57% about water supplies.
Pallone said Trump and Republican congressional leaders have swept those concerns to the side.
Gabe Evans, the bill’s sponsor, said the United States can either build out its power systems to meet demand or become dependent on countries like China for digital infrastructure.
Pallone said the American people are demanding action.
Opinion
Pallone said the president is out of touch on this issue.
House passes bill to shield consumers from data center price hikes on energy
Published 16 Sep 2026 accessed 17 Sep 2026
Facts
It was the only AI-related legislation scheduled for a House vote this week.
The bill is dubbed the Ratepayers Protection Act.
Not much more is expected on AI until at least the postelection lame-duck session.
An NBC News Decision Desk poll found nearly 70% of respondents oppose building AI data centers in their neighborhoods, and 45% were strongly opposed.
The Evans-Castor bill does not address AI researchers’ warnings that the technology could cause human extinction.
It is unclear what the Senate will do with the bill.
The Senate has its own data-center bills but has not moved any.
Trump has fully supported building new data centers, saying they are critical for U.S. AI companies to compete with China.
Tlaib said she opposed the bill because it fails to meaningfully protect communities.
Evans, in his first term, is one of the most vulnerable House Republicans of the cycle.
Evans and other at-risk lawmakers had been pressing GOP leaders for a vote on data centers.
Tlaib said the strongest action is a national moratorium on data centers and a prohibition on federal lands.
Voters in swing districts and states have argued data centers are springing up too fast and have begun mobilizing against them.
Escobar said she would vote yes but that the bill is truly the bare minimum.
Nearly all other Democrats supported the measure, saying they did not view it as harmful even as they panned it as weak.
A representative said communities are outraged and angry that Congress is not doing enough on data centers.
Oil remains above $100 a barrel.
Escobar said data centers are going into communities like hers that do not want them.
Veronica Escobar of Texas, who represents El Paso, told NBC News that before the vote.
Escobar said her community does not want data centers and that she agrees.
Debbie Dingell of Michigan voted yes but said the bill is not enough in any way, shape or form.
Jayapal pointed to Trump’s comments that the AI industry does not need guardrails and that serious safety warnings are a hoax.
Pramila Jayapal supported the bill.
Opinion
Tlaib said the bill fails to meaningfully protect communities.
Escobar said it is kind of pathetic that all Congress will do is make data centers pay their own energy costs.
Jayapal said she is worried the vote will be treated as having solved the AI threat while the president calls it a hoax.
Jayapal said the effort is a direct contradiction of the president opposing any real regulation.
House passes bill to shield Americans from data center energy costs
Published 16 Sep 2026 accessed 17 Sep 2026
Facts
Lawmakers are under pressure to address soaring energy costs partly attributed to the AI data-center boom.
Speaker Mike Johnson said the bill guarantees families will not foot the bill for AI infrastructure or see energy costs rise to pay for it.
Several Republicans facing tough reelection bids signed on as cosponsors in recent weeks.
The IEA estimated U.S. data-center electricity use could more than double from 2024 levels by the end of the decade.
The data-center industry is growing faster than U.S. electricity generation capacity, and fears have mounted about grid pressure.
A speaker said AI companies have a serious responsibility to earn community trust and be good neighbors.
Trump has urged data-center developers and tech firms to sign a pledge to build or purchase their own power supply.
Other estimates say the facilities could use more than 10% of U.S. power demand by 2030.
The White House says hundreds of utilities and dozens of operators and major AI companies have signed the pledge.
The worries have prompted state and local backlash against data-center development and political headaches for both parties.
Frank Pallone called the legislation imperfect and said it only addresses one small part of the puzzle.
Brett Guthrie said the legislation takes action to keep costs low while ensuring the U.S. leads in the next-generation economy.
Guthrie said the industry needs to develop at home, not in China.
Pallone said Americans are furious about unchecked development of data centers and artificial intelligence.
Pallone said Americans are furious about what data centers mean for their communities, jobs, or lives.
Opinion
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First data center bill clears House as Republicans and Democrats scramble for answers on affordability
Published 16 Sep 2026 accessed 17 Sep 2026
Facts
The bill amends PURPA so states must consider a federal standard.
It is the first data-center-related bill passed in the 119th Congress.
The bill does not ban data centers, limit their expansion, or set regulatory guidelines for them.
Companies would have to make financial assurances if a project is canceled or moved so communities are not left holding the bill.
The vote puts a spotlight on data centers as a proxy for affordability, energy, and regulatory debates.
Northern Virginia is the world’s largest data-center market, with about 13% of global operational capacity.
Castor said her neighbors across Florida are grappling with skyrocketing electric bills.
Cooper’s campaign said he believes communities must have the final say, including local moratoriums, and data centers must pay for all energy they use without passing costs to consumers.
Cooper once celebrated data-center expansion for jobs and has since qualified his support.
Roy Cooper, former North Carolina governor, is running for the seat of retiring Sen. Thom Tillis.
Michael Whatley also stressed allowing local communities to decide whether data-center expansion is right for them.
Whatley’s campaign said his standard is data centers pay their own way, families pay nothing, and communities decide.
Whatley’s campaign said Big Tech should build or buy every megawatt it needs and cover grid upgrades with zero costs shifted to residential ratepayers.
Whatley’s campaign said that means no special subsidies and no sweetheart deals over the heads of taxpayers.
Opinion
Evans called the Ratepayer Protection Act a bipartisan, commonsense solution that protects everyday Americans and helps win the AI race.
House passes legislation aimed at curbing rising electricity costs caused by data centers
Published 16 Sep 2026 accessed 17 Sep 2026
Facts
Overall U.S. electricity prices have risen roughly 27% since 2019, outpacing consumer inflation.
Electric bills rose 13% in Virginia, 16% in Illinois, and 12% in Ohio over one year, faster than a 6% national average, according to CNBC.
Some high-concentration areas saw power capacity spike over 1,000%, Reuters reported.
Data-center construction rose 57% from July 2025 to July.
Scalise said communities that embrace data centers see tremendous benefits, and that studies prove they do not add to grid costs.
House leadership was hesitant to vote on the legislation before the midterms because data centers are polarizing.
The cost of living remains the top issue for voters in the 2026 midterms.
Scalise said data centers are paying their own way.
The bill had dozens of co-sponsors, including 35 Republicans and 7 Democrats, according to Congress.gov.
The bill advanced unanimously out of the House Energy and Commerce Committee in July.
Natural gas used for U.S. data-center electricity is projected to rise 15 billion cubic feet per day through 2035.
Evans told Politico in August he hoped the bill would come to the floor when Congress returned in September.
A New Jersey data center spilled an estimated 5,000 gallons of No. 2 diesel fuel into a nearby creek Friday.
Opinion
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Bill to curb AI data center utility costs hits snag in Senate
Published 17 Sep 2026 accessed 17 Sep 2026
Facts
A Senate Republican attempt to quickly pass a bipartisan bill to prevent data-center utility cost increases failed Thursday.
Jon Husted requested unanimous consent to vote quickly without a roll call.
Democrats were concerned the bill would rely only on voluntary commitments from states and data-center developers.
Heinrich’s move makes it all but assured the bill will not advance out of Congress before the election.
Husted said America is expected to build the equivalent of 1,000 major data centers in five years, with more than 2,000 projects proposed or tracked.
Husted said American ratepayers need protection from footing the bill.
Heinrich promoted his GRID Savings Act, which would give FERC jurisdiction over facilities demanding 150 megawatts or more and require those data centers to pay costs from increased grid demand.
Some environmental and anti-data-center groups opposed the measure, calling it a half-step.
Husted has been accused by his Democratic opponent, a former senator.
Bernie Moreno objected to Heinrich’s request.
Mitch Jones of Food & Water Watch said Congress must reject pointless legislation that merely suggests states should act.
Sherrod Brown accused Husted of helping bring data centers to Ohio when Husted was lieutenant governor.
The Cook Political Report rates Husted’s race a toss-up.
Heinrich expressed concern over rising utility costs caused by data centers.
Moreno said the bill would have become law that day and electricity users would have seen immediate relief.
Opinion
Husted said the clock is ticking and there is no time for delay.
Moreno slammed Heinrich for blocking Husted’s proposal.