US House advances first bill addressing economic impact of data centre boom
Lawmakers passed the Ratepayer Protection Act to shield households from electricity cost increases tied to the expansion of AI data centres.
On Wednesday, the US House of Representatives voted 417 to three in favor of the Ratepayer Protection Act, addressing economic concerns linked to the growth of data centre industry. The Republican-majority chamber passed the legislation, highlighting the complex politics surrounding the US data centre boom. President Donald Trump supports data centre development as crucial for leadership in artificial intelligence, considering them the "oil of the next 20-25 years".
However, a University of Massachusetts Amherst poll revealed that only 11% of Americans would support the construction of an AI data centre in their community. While House Republican leaders pushed the bill before the midterm elections, Democrat Representative Robert Garcia from California claimed that the measure falls short and that constituents are angry about rising electricity costs due to the industry's increasing power demand.
Garcia emphasized that more comprehensive protections need to be implemented for residents, stressing that the current legislation is insufficient.
Written by urgent.news from Free Malaysia Today's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
This story
This is one outlet's version. Read the fullest account.
- House passes bill to shield Americans from data center energy costs cbsnews.com
- US House advances first bill addressing economic impact of data centre boom freemalaysiatoday.com
- U.S. House passes bill aimed at shielding households from data center power costs investing.com
- House passes bill to equip local law enforcement with scam-fighting tools therecord.media
