Barrasso, Lummis Slam Senate Democrats for Sinking Data Center Power Bill
The U.S. Senate rejected the Ratepayer Protection Act by a 57-43 vote after Wyoming Sens. John Barrasso and Cynthia Lummis supported it. The bill would have encouraged state regulators to consider standards requiring large data centers to pay for their electricity and related grid upgrades, but Democrats argued it was nonbinding and insufficient.
Wyoming Sens. John Barrasso and Cynthia Lummis voted for the Ratepayer Protection Act, which failed in the U.S. Senate by a 57-43 vote. The measure would have established a process for state utility regulators to consider federal standards requiring large data centers to cover their electricity and grid-upgrade costs, while leaving adoption of those standards optional.
Barrasso said Wyoming’s data center expansion could bring jobs and investment but warned that households should not bear the costs if facilities require major power infrastructure or leave before those costs are recovered. Lummis cited the bill’s bipartisan passage in the House and said she would continue pursuing the measure.
Senate Democrats, including Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, opposed the bill because they said its voluntary language would not ensure that data centers pay their full costs. Schumer described it as a nonbinding messaging measure, while Barrasso defended the flexibility as allowing states and local communities to tailor policies to their electric grids.