A Democratic bill with 1 Republican cosponsor · See all 2 cosponsors
Last activity — Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
In committee
Introduced and handed to a committee in the chamber it started in.
The committee holds it, and most bills are never heard from again. A hearing or a committee vote would be news; silence is the usual outcome, and it kills the bill without anyone voting against it.
Its path through Congress
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
The "Fair Allocation of Infrastructure Responsibility for Data Act" (FAIR Data Act) stops investor-owned, State-regulated electric utilities from passing the costs of "covered data centers" onto residential or small business customers. This includes costs for upgrading the electric grid to meet the energy demands of these large facilities. The bill requires State regulatory authorities to consider and determine the implementation of this standard within specific timeframes. It also ties certain Department of Energy funding to the certification that these costs are not being recovered through increased rates. Additionally, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission must report annually on how these data centers impact grid reliability and electricity rates.
Yes· 3 of 13
- Scored +8
Would households on low incomes be better off under this?
Protects low-income residential users from paying for industrial grid upgrades.
- Scored +7
Would middle-income households be better off under this?
Protects middle-class households from higher electricity rates.
- Scored +7
Does this give people more protection from unfair business practices?
Protects residential and small business consumers from unfair utility rate increases.
The opposite
- Scored -5
Would billionaires be better off under this?
Increases costs for the large entities and investors who own major data centers.
- Scored -3
Does this leave more decisions to the states?
Limits state flexibility in ratemaking by imposing federal requirements to maintain funding.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
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Protection from Rate Increases: Residential and small business electric consumers will not have to pay for costs associated with covered data centers, including grid upgrades needed to meet their energy demands. This is found in Section 2(a).
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Accountability for Data Centers: Data center operators who claimed their facilities would lower utility bills for the community must provide an annual report on the actual cost savings. This is found in Section 3(a)(2).
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Increased Transparency: The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission will provide an annual report to Congress regarding the impact of covered data centers on grid reliability and electricity rates. This is found in Section 3(b).
Potential Negative Impacts for People
- Potential Loss of State Funding: State regulatory authorities may lose funds from the Secretary for administrative or technical assistance if they cannot certify that costs are not being recovered from consumers or if they fail to require reports from data center operators. This is found in Section 3(a).
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Tap or hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Would households on low incomes be better off under this? — Protects low-income residential users from paying for industrial grid upgrades. Would middle-income households be better off under this? — Protects middle-class households from higher electricity rates. Would business owners be better off under this? — Protects small business owners from increased operational electricity costs. Would retired people be better off under this? — Protects retirees on fixed incomes from utility price increases. Would people in rural areas be better off under this? — Rural residential users are protected from grid upgrade costs associated with data centers. Would people over 65 be better off under this? — Protects seniors on fixed incomes from utility rate spikes. Would people in cities be better off under this? — Urban residential users are likely to benefit from stable electricity rates. Would billionaires be better off under this? — Increases costs for the large entities and investors who own major data centers.
- Economy And Finance
- Does this give people more protection from unfair business practices? — Protects residential and small business consumers from unfair utility rate increases. Does this make it easier to run a small business? — Prevents small businesses from paying for grid upgrades required by large data centers.
- Education And Technology
- Does this put more rules on large technology companies? — Increases regulatory pressure on large data center operators regarding cost allocation.
- Governance And Ideology
- Does this make what the government does easier for the public to see? — Requires annual reports from FERC and data center operators on costs and reliability. Does this give the federal government more power? — Uses federal DOE funding to compel states to adopt specific cost-recovery standards. Does this leave more decisions to the states? — Limits state flexibility in ratemaking by imposing federal requirements to maintain funding.
- Social Issues And Justice
- Is this likely to lift people out of poverty? — Lowering utility costs for low-income households contributes to poverty reduction.
- 8/13/2026
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 7/13/2026
- Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- Introduced in House
Jefferson Van DrewRepublican · New Jersey
Gabe VasquezDemocrat · New Mexico