US House passes bill to shield Americans from data center energy costs

The US House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed the bipartisan Ratepayer Protection Act on Wednesday with a 417-3 vote, sending the legislation to the Senate. The bill aims to force tech companies to cover the costs of new energy infrastructure required for data centers, rather than passing those expenses on to consumers. This legislative move comes amid growing concerns over the strain data centers place on the power grid and rising energy costs driven by the AI boom. House Speaker Mike Johnson stated that the act ensures American families will not foot the bill for AI infrastructure development. The International Energy Agency has estimated that electricity consumption by US data centers could more than double by the end of the decade. While some Democratic lawmakers described the bill as an imperfect but necessary step forward, proponents argue it is essential to keep energy costs low while maintaining US leadership in the next-generation economy.