US Senate rejects bill to shift AI data centre electricity costs

October 1, 2026 at 03:58 AM2 min

This digest was compiled by AI from multiple sources — links to the originals are below.

The US Senate rejected the Ratepayer Protection Act by a vote of 57 to 43 on Wednesday, falling short of the 60 votes needed to overcome a filibuster. The bill would have required state regulators to consider making data centres and other large electricity users bear infrastructure costs. Only four Democrats joined Republicans in supporting the measure, which critics called toothless.

Key Facts

The Senate vote was 57 to 43, short of the 60 votes required to end a filibuster.
Only four Democrats — Maggie Hassan, Amy Klobuchar, Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock — voted for the bill.
The House of Representatives passed the bill earlier this month by a vote of 417 to 3.
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer called the bill 'toothless' and said it was 'totally optional'.
The US has as many as 5,400 data centres, with Virginia and Texas leading in operating facilities.

Senate Vote

The Ratepayer Protection Act failed by a vote of 57 to 43 on Wednesday. The bill needed 60 votes to overcome a filibuster, a procedural hurdle that can block legislation indefinitely. Only four Democrats — Maggie Hassan, Amy Klobuchar, Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock — joined Republicans in supporting the measure. The bill had passed the House of Representatives earlier this month by a landslide vote of 417 to 3.

Democratic Opposition

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer dismissed the legislation as 'toothless' and 'totally optional'. Schumer said the bill failed to require data centres to cover the costs of electricity infrastructure upgrades. Democrats argued the bill did not go far enough to protect consumers from high electricity bills. Some senators advocated for mandatory enforcement instead of merely requiring states to 'consider' a federal utility rate standard. Other critics described the bill as a last-ditch Republican effort to secure a legislative victory ahead of the November midterm elections.

Data Centre Expansion

The artificial intelligence boom has driven increasing demand for data centres, which provide computing power for the new technology. There are as many as 5,400 data centres currently in the US, according to some estimates. Virginia and Texas lead the nation in operating facilities, followed closely by California, Ohio and New York. Thousands of data centres already span the US, with construction underway for dozens more.