Senator Martin Heinrich has halted a bipartisan push to advance legislation that would require states to account for tech companies' electricity costs in ratepayer bills, blocking the measure from passing without debate. The proposed Ratepayer Protection Act, introduced by Senator Jon Husted, aims to address how major technology firms factor into regional energy pricing but faced opposition from Heinrich over procedural concerns. The move highlights growing tensions over how states balance corporate energy use with consumer costs, leaving the bill’s future uncertain. Without unanimous consent, the legislation now requires further discussion or a vote, potentially delaying its progress.
Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) blocked Sen. Jon Husted’s (R-Ohio) Thursday effort to unanimously pass a bill that seeks to force states to consider making tech companies cover their data centers’ electricity price impacts. The New Mexico Democrat blocked the Ohio Republican’s effort to pass the Ratepayer Protection Act through unanimous consent, arguing that the bill...
