Senate Democrat blocks House-passed bill on data center electricity costs
Heinrich said the bill relies on voluntary state action and would leave households exposed to higher power bills from data center growth.
- On Thursday, Sen. Martin Heinrich blocked a Republican-led effort to fast-track the Ratepayer Protection Act in the Senate, which had passed the House 417-3 on Wednesday to force data centers to pay for grid infrastructure.
- Sen. Jon Husted championed the measure to prevent data center electricity costs from shifting to residential consumers, intending to codify parts of President Donald Trump's Ratepayer Protection Pledge.
- Heinrich objected to the bill, arguing it "falls short of what we need to do to respond," and promoted his own GRID Savings Act to require "hyperscalers" to finance grid infrastructure.
- GOP Sen. Bernie Moreno criticized the delay as "Democrat obstruction," while Senate Majority Leader John Thune noted the chamber's ability to revisit the bill depends on scheduling other legislative priorities.
- With the Senate's compressed pre-election schedule, passage remains unlikely despite bipartisan House support, as the conflict reflects growing political tension over data center development ahead of midterm elections.
27 Articles
27 Articles
Morning Business Report: Data center utility protection bill stalls in Senate as health insurance costs rise
(LILAMAX)- A bipartisan proposal designed to protect consumers from electricity costs associated with new data centers has stalled in the U.S. Senate. The Ratepayer Protection Act passed the House 417-3 Wednesday before an attempt to pass it by unanimous consent in the Senate was blocked Thursday. The legislation would require states to consider standards aimed at having large electricity users,...
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 62% of the sources are Center
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium





















