Congress is trying to make data centers pay more for electricity infrastructure. Voters just sent a warning about the AI boom.

A bipartisan energy bill reaches the Senate today with a provision requiring large data-center operators to shoulder more of the cost of grid upgrades needed to serve them. The legislation would also speed approvals for power plants and transmission lines. The political timing is hard to miss. On November 3, voters in communities across the country backed restrictions on data-center construction, while Democrats campaigned on rising electricity bills and local opposition to AI infrastructure. The backlash has been building for months over power consumption, water use and who pays for the grid expansion. Now Congress is trying to address the costs without slowing construction. Some Democrats say the bill could actually encourage more data centers. Its estimated chance of passage has already fallen from 40% to 25% since the election, according to TD Cowen.

https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/us-congress-gets-first-post-blue-wave-crack-data-centers-with-permitting-bill-2026-11-09/

https://www.axios.com/2026/11/04/ai-data-center-election-slowdown

Voters favor restrictions in 40 of 41 data-center ballot contests

Ballotpedia reported that voters favored limits on data-center development in 40 of 41 local ballot contests on November 3. They approved 27 measures restricting construction or expressing opposition, including five full bans, 12 partial bans and three temporary moratoriums. They also rejected 13 measures that would have supported development.

This is unusually broad local opposition, although these were local ballot questions rather than a single nationwide referendum.

https://news.ballotpedia.org/2026/11/06/voters-favored-limiting-data-center-development-in-40-of-41-local-ballot-measures-on-nov-3/

Senate Democrats spell out how they want data centers to pay

Senator Martin Heinrich released details of the legislation, including mandatory charges for the electricity infrastructure required by large data centers. His fact sheet cited a Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas working paper estimating that data-center demand had already pushed wholesale electricity prices up 6.9% nationally, with a projected 12.3% increase by 2028.

https://www.energy.senate.gov/press/dem/fact-sheet-heinrich-details-how-bipartisan-american-affordability-jobs-act-holds-data-centers-accountable-lowers-utility-bills-for-american-families/