House passes bill to shield Americans from data center energy costs

Updated on: September 16, 2026 / 6:58 PM EDT / CBS News

Washington — The House on Wednesday overwhelmingly passed legislation aimed at protecting Americans from shouldering the potential costs of data centers on their electricity bills.

The bipartisan Ratepayer Protection Act cleared the House in a 417 to 3 vote. House GOP leaders fast-tracked the bill, which required two-thirds majority support for passage. It now heads to the Senate.

Its passage comes as lawmakers are under pressure to address soaring energy costs that have been partly attributed to the data center boom driven by the AI race.

The bill was introduced by GOP Rep. Gabe Evans of Colorado, who is running in a competitive race. Several Republicans facing tough reelection bids signed on as cosponsors in recent weeks, as affordability and AI issues are central themes in the 2026 campaign.

Evans' measure seeks to force tech companies to pay for the costs of the new energy infrastructure that serves the data centers, instead of passing costs on to consumers. It would encourage the state agencies that regulate utility companies to establish standards ensuring any "large-load customers" — including large-scale data centers — are billed for the cost of new…

Original source: https://www.cbsnews.com/world/