Congress Wants For Data Centers To Cover Costs Of New Power Generation. Lawmakers Took a Key Step.

The House passed a bill seeking to shield consumers from some costs associated with the proliferation of data center across the country as the debate around artificial intelligence continues to dominate the public conversation.

The Ratepayer Protection Act got 417 votes in favor and only 3 against. It requires state utility regulators to consider rules so that those building data centers cover some of the costs of new power generation.

It also determines that, before any upgrade to the grid is made, "an electric utility shall require the large-load customer provide to the electric utility financial assurances or contributions to cover the cost of such upgrade."

Most polls have shown that data centers are not being well received by communities in which they are set up. A June survey conducted by CBS News/YouGov found that 50 percent of respondents said they did not want to live near a data center. Only 20 percent said they would favor living near one, and the remaining 30 percent of respondents were unsure.

Most said they were worried about the potential impact on local resources such as water and electricity, with 63 percent of respondents saying the impact would be mostly bad. There were also concerns about the environment generally, with 60 percent worried that data centers were mostly harmful.

Respondents also said that they lacked information about data centers. Only 16 percent said they knew a lot about them, with 57 percent saying they knew a little and 27 percent saying they new nothing.

In fact, President Donald Trump's longtime pollster Tony Fabrizio is advising Republican candidates to change how they talk about data centers, warning that "unconditional support" for rapid expansion could create political challenges.

In a two-page messaging memo obtained by Axios, Fabrizio provides Republican candidates with a strategy for responding to criticism over AI infrastructure projects. The guidance is aimed at helping candidates move from defending data centers to setting conditions for their approval as the debate over artificial intelligence investment expands across the country and opposition to them remains high.

Fabrizio argues that Republicans should avoid offering broad support for additional data center construction without conditions. "Unqualified support for building more AI data centers is a losing position," Fabrizio wrote in a passage of the memo. The pollster specifically advised candidates against using the phrase, "I support building more data centers," warning that opponents could use the statement in campaign advertisements.

Fabrizio also warned Republican candidates against relying on traditional arguments such as job creation or competition with China when discussing data centers. The memo advised against dismissing local opposition or defending individual projects before their financial and resource demands are fully understood.

Polling cited by Fabrizio shows voters are more supportive of data center construction when conditions are attached. His survey found that 61% of registered voters support allowing data centers to be built with requirements, while 28% favor banning them entirely. The same polling found that voters oppose additional data center construction without conditions by a 65% to 24% margin.

Trump has continued to strongly promote data center expansion, arguing that the facilities will create wealth, strengthen states, and help the United States compete in technology. "I'm telling you, it's all a hoax. The data centers are great, and they make people wealthy, and they make states wealthy, and it's the oil of the next 20, 25 years," Trump said Monday.