The US Senate has rejected a bill targeting data centre electricity costs, blocking a measure that would have required state regulators to consider making major power users pay towards infrastructure built to serve them.
The Ratepayer Protection Act fell short of the 60 votes needed to overcome a filibuster, with senators voting 57 to 43 on Wednesday. Only four Democrats – Maggie Hassan, Amy Klobuchar, Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock – joined Republicans in backing it.
The legislation had passed the House of Representatives earlier this month by 417 votes to three. Supporters said it would have helped protect households from rising energy costs as demand for data centres grows.
Democrats call bill ‘toothless’
Democrats in the Senate argued that the proposal did not go far enough, because it would only have required states to consider a federal utility rate standard rather than impose one.
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer described the bill as “toothless”, saying it did not require data centres to cover the cost of upgrades to electricity infrastructure.
“We need real action on data centres, and what do Republicans decide all of a sudden to push forward? A bill that is totally optional,” Mr Schumer said.
He urged Republicans to support a Democratic alternative with mandatory measures to provide relief for consumers.
Critics also characterised the legislation as a late Republican attempt to secure a legislative achievement before the November midterm elections.
The expansion of artificial intelligence has increased demand for data centres, which provide the computing capacity needed for the technology. Some estimates put the number of such facilities in the US at as many as 5,400.
The facilities consume substantial amounts of electricity, and critics argue that their growth is contributing to higher household bills. Virginia and Texas have the largest number of operating data centres, while California, Ohio and New York are also major digital infrastructure hubs.
A poll conducted in September found that 53 per cent of Americans were extremely or very concerned about the impact of data centres on electricity prices or water supplies in the communities where they are built.
