House passes bill to shield consumers from data center price hikes on energy

WASHINGTON — Under pressure to act on unpopular data centers, the House on Wednesday overwhelmingly passed bipartisan legislation aimed at shielding consumers from higher energy costs when new data centers are built in their communities.

The vote was 417-3. 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.

With the House holding its final votes before the midterm elections on Wednesday evening, and the Senate only staying in Washington a few more weeks, not much more is expected to get done to address the AI issue until at least the post-election lame-duck session.

New poll on AI and data centers reveals how people feel on the topic

The data center bill was co-sponsored by Reps. Gabe Evans, R-Colo., and Kathy Castor, D-Fla., both members of the Energy and Commerce Committee.

It aims to put the onus and responsibility on tech and data center companies — rather…

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