A Democratic bill with 8 Democratic cosponsors · See all 8 cosponsors
Last activity — Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
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 Power for the People Act of 2026 aims to manage the impact of data centers on the electric grid. It requires the creation of "data center load queues" to ensure these facilities do not compromise grid reliability or electricity affordability for other users. The bill encourages data centers to bring their own low-carbon energy resources and implement flexible load strategies. It also directs the establishment of specific rate classes so that data center owners, rather than general ratepayers, pay for necessary infrastructure upgrades. Finally, the Act provides for technical assistance and grants to help states implement these new regulatory structures.
Yes· 3 of 8
- Scored +7
Would union members be better off under this?
The bill promotes the use of prevailing wages, registered apprenticeships, and labor peace agreements.
- Scored +6
Does this give people more protection from unfair business practices?
The bill protects general ratepayers from subsidizing the infrastructure and energy costs of large data centers.
- Scored +5
Would households on low incomes be better off under this?
The bill aims to protect households from rising electricity bills caused by data center expansion.
The opposite
- Scored -4
Would business owners be better off under this?
Data center owners face new financial burdens, including minimum demand charges and higher interconnection costs.
- Scored -2
Is this likely to grow the economy?
The bill creates new regulatory hurdles and interconnection delays that may slow the expansion of data center infrastructure.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
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Protection of Electricity Affordability: The bill seeks to ensure that households and businesses are not subsidizing data center development through rising energy bills (Section 2).
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Grid Reliability: By creating load queues, the bill allows grid operators to delay or deny interconnections that might negatively affect the reliability or resource adequacy of the electric grid (Section 4(a)(2)).
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Job Opportunities and Fair Wages: The bill promotes the creation of good-paying jobs by prioritizing data centers that use laborers paid at prevailing wages and utilize registered apprenticeship programs (Section 4(b)(3)).
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Environmental Benefits: Priority in the load queue is given to data centers that implement low- or no-carbon forms of generation (Section 4(b)(1)(F) and 4(d)).
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Fair Cost Allocation: The bill directs that local transmission upgrade costs specifically needed for a data center be allocated to that data center, rather than other ratepayers (Section 5).
Potential Negative Impacts for People
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Barriers to Interconnection: New data centers that are not already connected to the grid may be prevented from connecting until they have fully advanced through the newly required load queue system (Section 4(h)).
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Increased Costs for Data Center Operators: Data center owners may face new financial burdens, such as minimum demand charges, increased up-front interconnection study costs, or requirements to pay for specific utility investments (Section 6(a)(ii)).
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 union members be better off under this? — The bill promotes the use of prevailing wages, registered apprenticeships, and labor peace agreements. Would households on low incomes be better off under this? — The bill aims to protect households from rising electricity bills caused by data center expansion. Would middle-income households be better off under this? — The bill prevents middle-income ratepayers from subsidizing the high infrastructure costs of data centers. Would business owners be better off under this? — Data center owners face new financial burdens, including minimum demand charges and higher interconnection costs.
- Economy And Finance
- Does this give people more protection from unfair business practices? — The bill protects general ratepayers from subsidizing the infrastructure and energy costs of large data centers. Is this likely to create jobs? — The bill prioritizes data centers that provide good-paying job opportunities through registered apprenticeship programs. Is this likely to grow the economy? — The bill creates new regulatory hurdles and interconnection delays that may slow the expansion of data center infrastructure.
- Governance And Ideology
- Does this give the federal government more power? — The bill increases federal oversight by directing the Commission to issue rules regarding data center load queues and rate classes. Does this make what the government does easier for the public to see? — The bill mandates new transparency and disclosure requirements for data center load interconnection requests.
- Environment Energy And Infrastructure
- Does this cut the pollution that drives climate change? — The bill incentivizes data centers to use low- or no-carbon forms of generation to receive priority in interconnection queues.
- 6/1/2026
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 1/15/2026
- Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
- 7 Cosponsors added.
- Introduced in Senate
One bill Congress.gov lists as related to this one — companions in the other chamber, earlier versions, and bills this one absorbed or was folded into.
Angela AlsobrooksDemocrat · Maryland
Richard BlumenthalDemocrat · Connecticut
Cory BookerDemocrat · New Jersey
Richard DurbinDemocrat · Illinois
Tammy DuckworthDemocrat · Illinois
Tina SmithDemocrat · Minnesota
Peter WelchDemocrat · Vermont
Mark WarnerDemocrat · Virginia