Bill aimed at protecting Americans from data centre energy costs blocked in Senate

A bill aimed at protecting Americans from higher electricity costs linked to data centres has been blocked in the US Senate, despite receiving overwhelming bipartisan support in the House.

Democratic Senator Martin Heinrich of New Mexico on Thursday blocked a unanimous consent request from Republican Senator Jon Husted of Ohio to pass the Ratepayer Protection Act.

The legislation had passed the House 417-3 a day earlier.

Husted called the proposal "the most meaningful bipartisan step Congress could take to protect the American people from higher prices for electricity."

Heinrich agreed that growing AI data centres could increase household energy costs but argued the legislation did not go far enough.

"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," Heinrich said.

He instead proposed the GRID Savings Act, which he said would better protect consumers while addressing water use, pollution and clean energy.

"My bill is what is needed to start to bring down energy prices," Heinrich said.

However, Republican Senator Bernie Moreno blocked Heinrich's proposal through his own objection to unanimous consent.

"The term do-nothing Congress exists for a reason. We absolutely accomplished that right now," Moreno told the Senate.

The competing proposals come amid growing concern about the impact of expanding AI data centres on electricity demand and consumer energy bills.