A bipartisan bill intended to protect Americans from electricity costs associated with new data centers has hit a roadblock in the Senate, one day after passing the House in a 417-3 vote. The Ratepayer Protection Act remains alive, but an attempt by Republican Senator Jon Husted to secure its immediate passage through unanimous consent was blocked Thursday by Senator Martin Heinrich, the top Democrat on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. Because unanimous consent requests can be stopped by a single senator, Heinrich's objection meant the bill could not pass through the expedited process.
The legislation would establish a federal standard under which large data centers cover the full incremental cost of upgrades needed to generate electricity and transmit or distribute it to their facilities. It would apply to qualifying facilities with peak electricity demand of at least 100 megawatts and require financial assurances before utilities undertake upgrades. Heinrich argued that the House measure did not go far enough and sought unanimous consent for his own GRID Savings Act.
Republican Senator Bernie Moreno objected, preventing the alternative bill from advancing through the same fast-track procedure. The Ratepayer Protection Act can still move through the Senate's normal legislative process, while senators can also negotiate another unanimous-consent agreement. The Senate could amend the measure, but any different version would have to return to the House before going to President Donald Trump.
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