US Senate blocks bill to address data center costs
The U.S. Senate blocked the Ratepayer Protection Act, which would have required state utility regulators to consider making large electricity users such as data centers pay for the additional power infrastructure they require. The bill received 57 votes, short of the 60 needed to advance, while Democrats argued it did not go far enough to protect consumers from higher electricity costs.
The U.S. Senate voted 57-43 against advancing the Ratepayer Protection Act, preventing legislation from moving past a procedural hurdle that required 60 votes. The measure, which had passed the House 417-3, would have directed state utility regulators to consider assigning large electricity users, including data centers, the incremental costs of grid infrastructure built to serve them.
Republicans promoted the vote as a way to address rising electricity costs associated with data center growth and artificial intelligence, while Democrats said the bill lacked sufficient consumer protections. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer called it a political messaging effort, and Democrats backed a separate proposal that would require data centers to pay the full cost of necessary grid upgrades.