The U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday passed a measure put forward by Republicans that would provide a federal blueprint to ensure data centers pay for their use of local energy grids.
It was adopted in a 417–3 vote.
The legislation would impose new requirements that AI and other data centers—which draw huge amounts of electricity from local power grids, straining supplies and leading to utility bill shocks for households across the nation—make deals with local providers to cover “the full, incremental cost of any generation, transmission, or distribution upgrade necessary” to serve their energy needs.
Ahead of the vote, it was unclear whether the legislation could win the backing of progressive lawmakers, who have broadly expressed concerns that the legislation would not go far enough to tackle the issue in view of its reliance on voluntary action. …