A New N.C. Ratepayer Bill Puts the Brakes on Data Centers, but Incentivizes Fossil Fuels
North Carolina's proposed Ratepayer Protection Act (SB 730) seeks to curb data center development by restricting eminent domain, economic incentives, and ratepayer cost transfers. Simultaneously, the bill aims to fast-track fossil fuel permits and delay coal plant retirements, drawing criticism from environmental groups for its contradictory nature. The bill has passed a House committee and faces further review and industry opposition.
North Carolina's proposed Ratepayer Protection Act (SB 730) is advancing through the state legislature, presenting a dual approach to energy policy by simultaneously restricting data center development and incentivizing fossil fuel infrastructure. The bill's first section targets data centers by prohibiting developers from using eminent domain, preventing local governments from offering economic incentives, and shielding North Carolinians from increased electric bills attributed to data center operations. State Rep. Pricey Harrison, a progressive Democrat from Guilford County, expressed strong approval for these data center provisions, noting growing constituent pressure to regulate such projects.
Conversely, Part Two of SB 730 aims to significantly alter state energy policy by fast-tracking environmental permits for fossil fuel projects, further delaying the retirement of coal-fired power plants, and potentially eliminating Duke Energy's goal of carbon neutrality by 2050. Shelley Robbins, senior decarbonization manager at the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, criticized the bill for combining