Ratepayer Protection Act

Senate blocks Ratepayer Protection Act aimed at curbing AI data center electricity costs

The US Senate voted 57-43 on September 30, falling three votes short of the 60 needed to advance the Ratepayer Protection Act, killing the bill after it had already passed the House. The legislation, introduced by Senator Jon Husted, would have directed state regulators to consider requiring data centers and other large power consumers to cover the infrastructure costs tied to their energy use.

tomshardware.com · 2026-10-05

House passes Ratepayer Protection Act forcing large AI data centers to fund grid upgrades

The U.S. House approved H.R. 9340, the Ratepayer Protection Act, which amends the 1978 Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act to require state regulators and non-regulated utilities to consider adopting a federal standard within two years. Under the bill, data centers drawing 100 megawatts or more would have to cover the full incremental cost of generation, transmission, or distribution upgrades built to serve them, even if they later cancel their power contracts.

tomshardware.com · 2026-09-18