The US House has overwhelmingly passed the Ratepayer Protection Act, a bill designed to prevent households from bearing the cost of new electricity infrastructure built to serve data centres.
The measure, introduced by Republican representative Gabe Evans of Colorado, cleared the chamber by 417 votes to three on Wednesday. It was fast-tracked by House Republican leaders under a procedure requiring a two-thirds majority and will now go to the Senate.
The legislation would encourage state agencies that regulate utility companies to set rules requiring “large-load customers”, including major data centres, to pay for the cost of new electricity generation needed to supply them.
The vote comes amid growing political pressure over rising energy costs and concern about the effect of the data centre expansion driven by the race to develop artificial intelligence.
Mike Johnson, the Republican Speaker of the House, said: “AI companies have a serious responsibility to earn the trust of the communities they invest in and to be good neighbours. The Ratepayer Protection Act guarantees hardworking American families won’t foot the bill for the buildout of AI infrastructure — or see their energy costs rise to pay for it.”
Electricity use by US data centres is expected to rise sharply as the industry expands faster than the country’s capacity to generate power. Estimates cited in the debate suggest consumption could more than double from 2024 levels by the end of the decade, while other projections indicate data centres could account for more than 10 per cent of US electricity demand by 2030.
The expansion has prompted opposition to data centre projects in some states and local communities, while creating political difficulties for both parties as lawmakers debate the wider impact of artificial intelligence.
President Donald Trump has broadly supported the AI industry but has urged data centre developers and technology companies to sign a pledge to build or purchase their own power supplies. The White House says hundreds of utility companies, along with dozens of data centre operators and major AI companies, have signed it.
Evans and several Republicans facing competitive re-election contests have backed the legislation in recent weeks, as affordability and artificial intelligence become central issues in the 2026 campaign.
Brett Guthrie, the Republican chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, said the bill would help keep costs down while allowing the US to lead in the next-generation economy.
“As this industry continues to develop, I want to be absolutely clear that we need it to develop here at home and not in China,” Mr Guthrie said during the floor debate.
Hakeem Jeffries, the House Democratic leader, described the legislation as “a step forward” but said more needed to be done.
Frank Pallone, the senior Democrat on the Energy and Commerce Committee, called the bill “imperfect” and said it addressed only “one small part of the puzzle”.
“Americans across the country are furious about the unchecked development of data centres and artificial intelligence,” Mr Pallone said. “And I want to promise that this bill is not the end of our focus on these issues. It’s only the beginning.”
