Voluntary ratepayer protection bill blocked in Senate again
The Senate again blocked a procedural motion to advance the Ratepayer Protection Act, a bipartisan bill addressing data center-related electricity and grid upgrade costs. The measure received 57 votes, short of the 60 needed, leaving it stalled despite passing the House overwhelmingly.
The Senate voted 57-43 against advancing the Ratepayer Protection Act, preventing consideration of legislation intended to ensure that data centers and other large electricity users bear the costs of grid upgrades needed to serve them. The bill passed the House 417-3 and would direct states to consider federal standards for allocating those costs rather than passing them to other utility customers.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune and Sen. Jon Husted argued the bill would help reduce electricity costs for consumers, while Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer criticized its voluntary approach as ineffective. The measure has now been blocked twice in the Senate and is unlikely to advance as senators prepare to leave Washington for the campaign trail.