Data center bill falls short in Senate as lawmakers take final votes before the midterms
The measure would have made large data centers cover grid upgrade costs, but Democrats said it left protections optional and lacked enforcement.
- On Wednesday, Senate Democrats blocked the Ratepayer Protection Act in a 57-43 procedural vote, falling short of the 60 votes required to break a filibuster. The bill, led by Sen. Jon Husted , aimed to regulate data center electricity costs.
- Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer criticized the legislation as "toothless" and "a fraud," arguing the bill was optional for states and provided no real protections for consumers against rising energy costs.
- The Ratepayer Protection Act directed state commissions to consider rate designs for large customers consuming at least 100 megawatts, enough power for 700,000 homes. PJM data center loads recently drove up electricity supply costs by nearly $30 billion.
- Defending the bill as "common sense," Senate Majority Leader John Thune noted that only Democrats Jon Ossoff, Raphael Warnock, Maggie Hassan, and Amy Klobuchar crossed party lines to vote in favor.
- Following a 417-3 House vote earlier this month, the legislation now faces deadlock in the Senate despite its previous bipartisan support among representatives.
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109 Articles
U.S. Senate tanks bill meant to shield Americans from data center energy costs - Regional Media News
(The Center Square) - A bill meant to prevent American communities from shouldering rising energy costs caused by data centers has died in the U.S. Senate. The Ratepayer Protection Act, which nearly unanimously passed the House two weeks ago, failed to advance Wednesday in a [...]
Republicans’ last-ditch effort to save face on energy costs before midterms fails in key Senate vote
With the midterms closing in, Senate Republicans made one last push to convince voters they suddenly care about soaring energy costs. It flopped. The Senate on Wednesday blocked the GOP-backed Ratepayer Protection Act in a 57-43 procedural vote, falling three votes short of the 60 needed to advance it. The bill was designed to address […]
The Epoch Times
The Constitution StudySenate Democrats Block Republican Data Center Utility Rate Bill
All but four Democrats—Sens. Jon Ossoff, Raphael Warnock, Amy Klobuchar, and Maggie Hassan—voted against the bill.
‘Toothless messaging’? Senate agenda caught up in midterm branding
As senators looked for the exits this week, Republican leaders forced votes on two hot-topic campaign issues: data center electricity costs and lawmakers’ ability to buy and sell stocks. Democrats tried to label both as “toothless” last-ditch messaging bids, saying Republicans are merely trying to boost their sagging polls as they fight to retain their […]
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