A Democratic senator's vote blocks the data center bill passed by the House
Martin Heinrich defeated the proposal—which aims to require tech companies to cover the costs of new energy infrastructure for businesses rather than consumers, and which had passed with overwhelming bipartisan support of 417-3—and introduced his own alternative.
Democratic Senator Martin Heinrich speaks on the phone
The "no" vote by Democratic Senator Martin Heinrich derailed a bill on artificial intelligence data centers that had been approved in the House of Representatives by an overwhelming bipartisan majority (417-3) the previous day. The GOP attempted to pass the bill in the Senate by unanimous consent, so the New Mexico senator's "no" vote was enough to derail it.
The Taxpayer Protection Act aims to require tech companies to cover the costs of new energy infrastructure for companies rather than consumers. Ohio GOP Senator John Husted proposed passing the bill unanimously, but Heinrich, the senior Democrat on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, felt that the proposal falls short and introduced his own alternative.
Heinrich felt the initiative "falls short" and introduced his own alternative
"The senator from Ohio and I agree on one thing, AI data centers can mean higher costs for American families, and in a lot of places they already do. But the Ratepayer Protection Act falls short of what we need to do to respond." said Heinrich, who justified his vote against the bill by presenting his "legislation with real teeth":
"Congress needs to pass real legislation with real teeth. My bill is what is needed to start to bring down energy prices. We also need to do more to get data centers to actually engage with communities from the beginning to the end, and we need to conserve local resources, especially water. And we need to protect communities from air pollution by using clean energy and battery storage. But we're not going to get there with the bill that the senator from Ohio has proposed."
"Do-nothing Congress"
Heinrich then proposed moving forward with his own initiative by unanimous consent, but the other Ohio lawmaker, Republican Bernie Moreno, lashed out at him: "The term do-nothing Congress exists for a reason. We absolutely accomplished that right now." Visibly annoyed, Moreno accused the Democrat of blocking a measure that would have provided taxpayers with "immediate relief."
Husted also lamented what had happened with "the most meaningful, bipartisan step Congress could take to protect the American people from higher prices for electricity. It is a shame that this opportunity has been missed today."
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