The Ratepayer Protection Act requires installations with a capacity of more than 100 megawatts to bear the cost of grid reinforcements, instead of passing it on to household bills.
On September 16, 2026, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Ratepayer Protection Act by a vote of 417 to 3, a score that reflects a rare bipartisan agreement on AI and energy issues. The Republican leadership had put the text in a fast-track procedure, which required a two-thirds majority.
The scheme targets data centers and hyperscalers with a consumption of more than 100 megawatts: they will have to fully finance the network reinforcements necessary to connect them, rather than passing on the burden to residential subscribers. Elected officials are legislating under the pressure of rising electricity bills, part of which is blamed on the wave of construction linked to the race for AI.
The only three votes against came from progressive Democratic elected officials: Summer Lee (Pennsylvania), Delia Ramirez (Illinois) and Rashida Tlaib (Michigan). The text now goes to the Senate.
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