Juan Ciscomani Applauds Overwhelming Passage of Ratepayer Protection Act

Representative Juan Ciscomani (R-AZ) issued a celebratory statement on the near-unanimous passage of the Ratepayer Protection Act in the House.

The Ratepayer Protection Act: A Refresher

The Ratepayer Protection Act is a bill that addresses a common concern about AI data centers: they use a lot of power, which drives up costs, and people living nearby fear their electric bills will skyrocket as a result.

As a result, the Ratepayer Protection Act requires state utility regulators and unregulated utilities to consider adopting large load standards, ensuring cost recovery for the "full, incremental" cost of any generation, transmission, or distribution upgrade needed to serve the large-load customer.

The bill passed 417 to 3.

President Donald Trump launched a similar initiative earlier this year – the voluntary Ratepayer Protection Pledge – which conservative activist group Defend Forgotten America Action released a video about, saying, "it holds big corporations accountable — ensuring their investments strengthen American workers and American communities, not just corporate bottom lines."

What Ciscomani is Saying

"Across Arizona's Sixth District, families and small businesses are already feeling the pressure of rising electricity costs," Rep. Ciscomani said in a press release. "We cannot allow rapid data center development to come at the expense of affordable energy or leave hardworking Arizonans footing the bill for the massive amount of power these facilities require. I have raised this issue with House leadership because Arizona communities deserve a voice in how growth happens in their own backyards."

Rep. Ciscomani emphasized that "data centers should pay their own way, not drive-up utility costs for the families and businesses that call our communities home. Arizona has an opportunity to welcome new innovation and economic development while protecting ratepayers. That means bringing local communities, state and federal leaders, utilities, industry, and other stakeholders to the table to find a responsible path forward that prioritizes local control and makes sure the costs of data center growth are not passed on to Arizona families."