A Democratic bill with 1 Democratic cosponsor · See the cosponsor
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 Energy Cost Fairness and Reliability Act of 2026 seeks to amend the Federal Power Act to manage the impact of large load facilities, such as data centers, on the electrical grid. It directs the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to establish standard interconnection procedures and a formal queue system for these large loads. The bill requires large load customers to pay for interconnection studies and network upgrades to ensure they are not shifting costs to other ratepayers. It also establishes criteria for demand flexibility, curtailability, and provides prioritization for projects that include battery storage or follow specific labor standards. Additionally, the bill authorizes the Department of Energy to collect data on data center trends and establish an artificial intelligence testbed at a National Laboratory.
Yes· 3 of 9
- Scored +6
Does this give people more protection from unfair business practices?
The bill protects residential ratepayers from electricity price surges by requiring large load customers to pay 100 percent of interconnection and network upgrade costs.
- Scored +5
Would households on low incomes be better off under this?
The bill seeks to maintain electricity affordability for residential consumers by preventing large load costs from being shifted to other ratepayers.
- Scored +5
Would middle-income households be better off under this?
The bill aims to protect consumers from rising electricity rates caused by large load growth.
The opposite
No question was scored the opposite.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
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Protection of Electricity Rates: The bill aims to prevent electricity price increases for residential consumers by requiring large load customers to pay 100 percent of interconnection study costs and assigned network upgrades (Section 2, Section 3(b)(1), Section 3(d)(1)).
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Grid Reliability and Security: By requiring large load customers to demonstrate demand flexibility and undergo strict interconnection processes, the bill seeks to address challenges to grid resource adequacy and reliability (Section 2, Section 3(b)(4)).
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Support for High-Quality Jobs: The bill allows for the prioritization of interconnection requests for customers who use laborers and mechanics paid at prevailing wages and utilize registered apprenticeship programs (Section 3(b)(5)(A)(ii)).
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Technological Innovation: The establishment of an artificial intelligence testbed at a National Laboratory is intended to allow researchers to develop energy-efficient algorithms and hardware (Section 3(j)(1), Section 3(j)(2)).
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Prevention of Cost Shifting: The Commission is directed to review cost allocation to ensure that the costs of network upgrades necessitated by large loads are not shifted to other customers (Section 3(d)(3)).
Potential Negative Impacts for People
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Increased Costs for Large Load Customers: Large load customers are required to pay 100 percent of interconnection study costs and all assigned network upgrades, which are nonrefundable (Section 3(b)(1), Section 3(d)(1)).
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Operational Restrictions for Large Loads: To interconnect, large load customers must enter into binding agreements to be "curtailable," meaning they may have to reduce or shift their electrical demand upon request from a transmission provider (Section 3(a)(3), Section 3(b)(4)(A)(i)).
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Financial Risks in the Interconnection Process: Transmission providers are required to impose study deposits, readiness payments, and withdrawal penalties on large load facilities (Section 3(g)(1)).
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? — The bill seeks to maintain electricity affordability for residential consumers by preventing large load costs from being shifted to other ratepayers. Would middle-income households be better off under this? — The bill aims to protect consumers from rising electricity rates caused by large load growth. Would union members be better off under this? — The bill provides prioritization for large load customers that adhere to prevailing wage standards and registered apprenticeship programs.
- Economy And Finance
- Does this give people more protection from unfair business practices? — The bill protects residential ratepayers from electricity price surges by requiring large load customers to pay 100 percent of interconnection and network upgrade costs. Does this strengthen the rights of workers to organise? — The bill prioritizes interconnection requests for large load customers that employ laborers and mechanics paid at prevailing wages and use registered apprenticeship programs. Is this likely to grow the economy? — The bill supports technological growth through an artificial intelligence testbed to enhance energy-efficient algorithms and hardware.
- Education And Technology
- Does this put more money into scientific research? — The bill establishes a new artificial intelligence testbed at a National Laboratory to support collaborative research and development.
- Environment Energy And Infrastructure
- Does this put more money into wind, solar and other renewable power? — The bill prioritizes interconnection for projects that incorporate battery energy storage systems.
- Governance And Ideology
- Does this leave more decisions to the states? — The bill includes a savings provision ensuring that the Commission's authority does not preempt state authority to regulate retail electricity rates.
- 9/28/2026
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 5/18/2026
- Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
- 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.
Tammy DuckworthDemocrat · Illinois