Both of Wyoming's U.S. senators voted Wednesday for a bill meant to keep data center costs off household power bills, but it fell short in the Senate, where Democrats blocked the Ratepayer Protection Act 57-43.
The Ratepayer Protection Act would have required state utility regulators to formalize a process to consider federal standards aimed at making large data centers cover their own electricity and grid upgrade costs, though actual adoption of those standards would have remained optional for each state.
In an email to Cowboy State Daily, Sen. John Barrasso, the Senate Majority whip, emphasized the bill’s importance for Wyoming, where a boom of data center development is bringing both new investment and new questions about who pays for the power.
While new data centers can create jobs, economic benefit and funding for schools, Barrasso warned of the “enormous” amount of electricity they require.
“Working families should not be stuck with the bill,” Barrasso said. “That is why the Senate must pass the Ratepayer Protection Act.”
The bill, Barrasso said, would also protect Wyoming communities from the potential of the data center boom going bust.
“If a data center leaves a community before those costs are paid off, this bill says the company is still responsible for paying the bill,” Barrasso said. “A data center cannot simply leave town and stick working families with the bill.”
AOC And Jeffries In Favor
On the Senate floor Tuesday, Barrasso sharply criticized Democrats for blocking an earlier attempt to fast-track the bill. By Wednesday, his message on X struck a more bipartisan tone.
“Even AOC and Hakeem Jeffries voted for it in the House!” Barrasso posted on X. “It simply says data centers must pay the full cost of the electricity they use. Working families shouldn't be stuck with the bill.”
But the bipartisan backing he pointed to did not hold in the Senate, where Democrats blocked the bill later Wednesday.
“There is overwhelming bipartisan support for making sure working families are not stuck with the bill for a large company’s electricity use,” Barrasso told Cowboy State Daily. “Yet today, Senator Schumer and Senate Democrats voted against it.”
Sen. Cynthia Lummis also voted for the bill on Wednesday.
In an email statement to Cowboy State Daily, Lummis emphasized that the bill passed in the House on Sept. 16 and was cleared by the House Energy and Commerce Committee in a 52-0 vote.
“Yet Senate Democrats voted no, because they didn't want to hand Republicans a win, even when it would have been a win for the American people,” Lummis said. “Ratepayers deserve better than the Democrats’ partisan games, and I'll keep fighting to get this done.”
Dems: Bill Doesn't Go Far Enough
Democrats argued the bill does not go far enough, noting that states could consider the standard and still do nothing, and said the Senate should instead take up legislation that would strictly require large data centers to cover their costs. Schumer, D-N.Y., called the bill a "toothless messaging bill" on the Senate floor Tuesday.
Schumer argued the bill's wording leaves it "optional," while Barrasso told Cowboy State Daily the flexibility is a feature, not a flaw, because it lets states tailor the standards to their own needs.
“It does not dictate how each state runs its electric grid,” Barrasso said. “It allows local communities to decide what works best for them.”
Barrasso said the vote puts every senator on record, and that Democrats who voted against the bill may answer to voters in November.
“The American people will remember who supported ratepayer relief and who stood in the way,” Barrasso said.
Emma Jane Jackson can be reached at emma@cowboystatedaily.com.
