The House passed a bill to keep AI data centers from raising your electricity bill, but states can still opt out — is that enough to protect households?
On Sept. 16 the U.S. House voted 417-3 for the Ratepayer Protection Act, meant to stop large AI data centers from shifting grid-upgrade costs onto household bills, but it only requires states to 'consider' the standard, not adopt it.
Federal guardrails, state discretion. That feels like the right balance. And costs should follow demand. Data centers should pay for the grid upgrades they need.
If a state has a surplus of energy there is no reason why it shouldn't host data centers. Further, state governments are much closer to the people than is the Federal government. Federal guidance is important but in some cases state action is reasonable.
Agreed. Leave it to the states. Lots to balance here, including jobs growth. Better to lean into the growth trends rather than swim upstream (apologies for the mixed metaphors).
Abhorrent waste of energy? The general crappiness of the "technology"? The demonstrable harm it's already doing to developing brains? The fact it's a ridiculous bubble that'll make tulip-bulbs look like gold and can't pop soon enough? The Kaczynski-ite backlash against real and worthy technological miracles that this "Shift the Ape"-like fraud is already engendering? Those are just 5 reasons, there are plenty more.
And you have every right to testify to that in your statehouse.
if your state opts out because a data center promises jobs, does that trade-off still feel fair when your bill shows up in january?