Chris Wright, US Secretary of Energy, Masayoshi Son, chairman and CEO of SoftBank Group Corp., and Howard Lutnick, US Secretary of Commerce, pose for a photo with employees and local leaders following a press conference at the Portsmouth Site in Piketon, Ohio, US, Friday, March 20, 2026. SoftBank Group Corp. will spend $500 billion on one campus.
Brian Kaiser | Bloomberg | Getty Images
The House of Representatives on Wednesday will begin consideration of a bill to force technology companies to pay for the strain of spying on the power grid, as voters across the country express dissatisfaction with data centers that drive up operating costs.
The energy subpanel of the House and Commerce Committee is scheduled to discuss and vote on the Taxpayer Protection Act, a bill that would require state utilities to consider creating a “large load rating” that would require data center builders to pay for grid upgrades needed to power them. The bill would include parts of the White House’s “Payer Protection Pledge.”
The bill represents one of the first attempts by Congress to force technology companies to pony up to meet the huge electricity demand of data centers. It’s months before the midterm elections, where voters will decide whether to wrest control of Washington from President Donald Trump and the Republican Party. Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft again SpaceX xAI is among the largest builders and operators of data centers.
“Families and small businesses across the country shouldn’t be left to foot the bill for these new developments, even though the benefits of these innovations will be felt throughout the community,” said House Energy and Commerce Chairman Brett Guthrie, R-Ky. “The Ratepayer Protection Act is a bipartisan effort, which will ensure that the costs of grid development are paid fairly according to need.”
The bill is sponsored by Reps. Gabe Evans, R-Colo., and Kathy Castor, D-Fla.
Evans said “Colorado families, farmers, and small businesses should not be forced to pay the costs of renewable energy driven by these developments.”
Castor said the bill “protects consumers by making sure these data centers pay for the power and grid upgrades they need so that hard-working families and local businesses don’t get stuck paying more.”
The bill would aim to ensure that technology companies that build data centers cover the costs of generating new electricity, transmission lines, and other grid-related improvements to help customers with high loads. Voters have recently expressed displeasure with data centers, especially when they increase electricity costs.
Many big tech companies have signed Trump’s pledge, showing they are not opposed to paying for new power generation to investigate AI.
However, the bill still has a long way to go before it becomes law.
It will need to be approved by the full House and Senate Energy and Commerce Committees before reaching Trump’s desk.
