The House of Representatives just took action to stop AI data centers from driving up your electric bill.
In an overwhelming bipartisan vote of 417-3, the House passed a first-of-its-kind bill aiming to require data centers to pay the full cost of power grid upgrades.
The House Energy and Commerce Committee announced:
American families shouldn't foot the bill for data centers.
Today, the House passed
@RepGabeEvans' Ratepayer Protection Act , so data centers pay their own way for the grid upgrades they need — not hard-working families and small businesses.
Read more about the Ratepayer…
https://t.co/V15gbx3Ze7
— Energy and Commerce Committee (@HouseCommerce)
September 16, 2026
The Hill dove deeper into the details of the bill:
The bill requires states to consider taking up standards that would force tech companies to shoulder the electricity cost increases associated with large data centers but doesn’t actually require them to regulate.
The bipartisan Ratepayer Protection Act, sponsored by Reps. Kathy Castor (D-Fla.) and Gabe Evans (R-Colo), passed 417-3 under a fast-track process known as suspension of the rules.
The vote comes at a moment of rising backlash to both artificial intelligence itself and the data centers that power it.
The legislation describes a framework under which facilities that demand a lot of electricity — like large data centers — would be charged a rate that would cover the full cost of any additional power production or electricity infrastructure required to meet their demand so that costs do not fall on the general public.
It does not force state regulators to adopt the framework but says states must hold a hearing on such a policy within two years of the bill’s enactment.
The bill’s supporters describe it as a solid push that could ultimately spur state-level action to protect consumers.
If such regulations are adopted, then it would ensure that homeowners do not have to foot the bill for data centers as they expand across the nation.
Watch the moment the act passed here:
WOW! The Ratepayer Protection Act, which forces DATA CENTERS and other high-demand electricity users to pay the FULL incremental cost of any grid upgrades, just passed almost UNANIMOUSLY in the House, 417-3
This bill is meant to protect REGULAR AMERICANS from having to foot…
pic.twitter.com/244dTyStzN
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor)
September 16, 2026
WOW! The Ratepayer Protection Act, which forces DATA CENTERS and other high-demand electricity users to pay the FULL incremental cost of any grid upgrades, just passed almost UNANIMOUSLY in the House, 417-3
This bill is meant to protect REGULAR AMERICANS from having to foot the bill for grid upgrades needed to serve data centers and other similar facilities.
It’s VERY rare to see this sort of bipartisanship in the House nowadays
All 3 nays were Democrats.
The only three Congress members who voted against the bill were Democrats.
NBC News shared their names:
The vote was nearly unanimous, 417-3, with the only opposition coming from progressive Reps. Summer Lee, D-Pa., Delia Ramirez, D-Ill., and Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich. Because GOP leaders brought the bill to the floor under a fast-tracking procedure known as suspension, support from two-thirds of voting lawmakers was required.
The bill, dubbed the Ratepayers Protection Act, is the only legislation related to artificial intelligence that was scheduled for a vote this week as Congress considers its response to dire warnings from some former AI employees about its dangers.
The bill now heads to the Senate, where it must pass before President Trump can sign it.
This piece of legislation reflects President Trump’s policies to shield everyday homeowners from having to pay for power grid upgrades that data centers need.
As you may know, President Trump is big on AI, which requires more powerful data centers to give the U.S. a competitive edge.
But, he has also repeatedly said that data centers should give more than they take, and that hardworking Americans should never have to shoulder the costs.
CNBC has more:
Data centers have sprung up as a crucial issue in the 2026 elections, in which Republicans are trying to defend narrow majorities in both the House and Senate. A cross-partisan, grassroots movement opposing the facilities — which store data, process information and have helped fuel the AI boom — has cropped up around the country, prompting elected officials to come out in favor of more stringent regulation.
States and localities have primary authority over individual projects, but the House bill would seek to create a set of guardrails that states could choose to adopt to address one of the top concerns of residents who live near operational or proposed data center projects: higher utility costs. The bill would codify parts of the White House’s “Ratepayer Protection Pledge,” which President Donald Trump released in March.
What are your thoughts?
Do you support requiring data centers to cover extra utility costs?
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[ H/T WLT Report ]
