# House passes first data center bill amid election scramble

> Both parties rush to address voter concerns about AI infrastructure costs before midterms.
- Title: House passes first data center bill amid election scramble
- Summary: Both parties rush to address voter concerns about AI infrastructure costs before midterms. The Ratepayer Protection Act requires large data centers to pay…
- Keywords: ratepayer protection act, data centers, artificial intelligence, energy infrastructure, house of representatives, gabe evans, kathy castor, 2026 midterm elections, utility costs, local communities, news, politics
- Source: Fox News — https://foxnews.com/politics/first-data-center-bill-clears-house-republicans-democrats-scramble-answers-affordability-energy
- Author: Leo Briceno
- Published: 2026-09-16T00:00:00+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: ratepayer protection act, data centers, artificial intelligence, energy infrastructure, house of representatives, gabe evans, kathy castor, 2026 midterm elections, utility costs, local communities, news, politics
## House passes data center bill
The Ratepayer Protection Act cleared the House with overwhelming bipartisan support, 417 to 3, marking the first data center bill in the current Congress.
## What the bill actually does
It requires large data centers using 100 megawatts or more to pay the full cost of energy infrastructure upgrades, preventing those expenses from being passed to local residents.
## Evans frames it as competition
Rep. Gabe Evans, the bill's sponsor, says protecting ratepayers is essential while America races to lead the world in AI and compete with China.

> As America races to lead the world in AI, we must build the energy infrastructure needed to support this innovation and stay ahead of competitors like communist China.
## Democrats link it to affordability
Democratic co-sponsor Kathy Castor says ratepayers should not subsidize wealthy corporations' energy demands, especially as families face skyrocketing electric bills.

> Ratepayers should not have to subsidize wealthy corporations' growing energy demands, especially from AI data centers.
## Candidates navigate the politics
Roy Cooper, running for Senate in North Carolina, now emphasizes that communities must have final say on data centers and they must pay all their own costs.
## Republicans stress local control
Michael Whatley, the Republican Senate candidate in North Carolina, says data centers should pay their own way with zero costs shifted to residential ratepayers.
## Bill heads to Senate
The Ratepayer Protection Act now moves to the Senate, where its fate remains uncertain before the November midterm elections.
## Key takeaway

The Ratepayer Protection Act requires large data centers to pay their own energy infrastructure costs instead of passing them to local communities.