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House passes bill to shield Americans from data center energy costs
cbsnews.com • • nation
Key Points:
- The House passed the bipartisan Ratepayer Protection Act by a 417 to 3 vote, aiming to prevent Americans from bearing the costs of data centers on their electricity bills; the bill now moves to the Senate.
- Introduced by GOP Rep. Gabe Evans, the legislation requires tech companies to pay for new energy infrastructure costs associated with data centers, rather than passing those costs to consumers.
- The bill responds to concerns about rising energy consumption from data centers, which could account for over 10% of U.S. power demand by 2030, and aims to protect ratepayers amid the AI-driven data center boom.
- Both Republican and Democratic leaders acknowledged the bill as a positive step, though Democrats emphasized that further measures are needed to address broader issues related to data center growth and AI infrastructure.
- The legislation reflects growing political pressure to balance economic growth in AI and tech with community and energy cost concerns, with bipartisan support highlighting its significance in the 2026 election context.
