{
  "id": 12133758,
  "title": "US Senate kills bill that could potentially shield Americans from skyrocketing power bills due to AI data centers",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/05/us-senate-kills-bill-that-could-potentially-shield-americans-from",
  "topic": "ai",
  "section": "AI",
  "published": "2026-10-05T10:25:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Tom's Hardware",
    "slug": "tom-s-hardware",
    "url": "https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/data-centers/us-senate-kills-bill-that-could-potentially-shield-americans-from-skyrocketing-power-bills-due-to-ai-data-centers-opponents-say-bill-is-toothless-and-doesnt-do-enough-to-protect-citizens"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The United States Senate has rejected the Ratepayer Protection Act, a bipartisan bill aimed at preventing soaring electricity costs due to the proliferation of data centers. The bill, introduced by Senator Jon Husted, fell three votes short of the necessary 60 votes to pass on September 30, ending with a tally of 57-43, according to a Reuters report. It had previously cleared the U.S. House of Representatives two weeks earlier, leaving the Senate as the final procedural hurdle before President Trump could sign it into law. The act sought to establish a federal standard for states and Public Utility Commissions, directing regulators to consider whether data center electricity consumers should bear the costs of new energy infrastructure. Proponents argued that the bill would prevent data centers from passing infrastructure expenses onto residents and small businesses, a growing concern in areas experiencing increased data center construction. However, opponents, primarily Democrats, deemed the bill \"toothless\" due to its non-binding nature, as it did not require states to adopt the standard and only directed regulators to consider it in their rate-setting processes. Only four Democrats voted in favor of the bill, with the general consensus being that it fell short of adequately protecting consumers from increased electricity bills. The bill's failure leaves Congress without new federal protections for data center-related grid costs. Congress may reevaluate the issue following the mid-term elections in November, potentially leading to revisions that would mandate utility regulators to ensure data center operators cover additional costs arising from their operations. The debate over data center energy costs and who should bear them remains a significant issue during campaigns, particularly in states where new facilities are planned or are already under construction. Local communities continue to voice opposition to data centers, citing issues such as rising electricity bills. Some states have already taken steps to address these hikes, with an Oregon power company increasing data center bills by 30% and reducing residential electricity costs by 1.3%. Major cloud providers, on the other hand, are exploring alternative solutions, such as moving their data centers off-grid or pledging to supply electricity to the grid or offset increases in residents' bills.",
  "summary": "The U.S. Senate has blocked the Ratepayer Protection Act in a 57-43 vote, killing legislation that would have pushed regulators to consider making data centers pay the incremental grid costs created by their massive electricity demand.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}