Data Center Ratepayer Bill Stalls
Senate Blocks Data Center Ratepayer Protection Bill in 57-43 Vote
Anonymous
The Senate voted 57-43 against advancing the Ratepayer Protection Act, falling short of the 60 votes needed and leaving the measure stalled despite its near-unanimous passage in the House. The bill would have required state utility regulators to consider standards for making large data centers cover the electricity and grid-upgrade costs they create, but it would not have required states to adopt those standards. Most Democrats called the proposal toothless and argued Congress should require data centers and other major electricity users to pay for needed grid upgrades; four Democratic senators voted to advance it. Republicans said the bill would help protect households from rising power costs, while the debate has become a political flashpoint ahead of the midterms, including in Ohio, where Republican Sen. Jon Husted faces a competitive race.
Key Points
1
Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso argued that data center companies should remain responsible for costs even if they leave a community before those costs are paid off. He also noted that data center development can bring jobs, investment and school funding to Wyoming.
2
Sen. Martin Heinrich introduced a competing proposal, the GRID Savings Act, which would require data centers and other large electricity users to pay for the grid facilities needed to connect them, rather than merely asking states to consider such requirements.
3
The four Democrats who voted to advance the Ratepayer Protection Act were Sens. Amy Klobuchar, Jon Ossoff, Raphael Warnock and Maggie Hassan.
4
The Senate had tried to fast-track the bill on Sept. 17, but Sen. Martin Heinrich objected, stopping that effort; the article notes that one senator is sufficient to block a recorded vote.
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