A bipartisan Senate duo introduced new legislation this week that would force data centers to meet their power needs through sources separate from the grid.
The “Guaranteeing Rate Insulation From Data Centers (GRID) Act,” from Sens. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), is the first bipartisan proposal intended to stop the artificial intelligence infrastructure from increasing energy costs for consumers. It joins a roster of partisan proposals recently unveiled in Congress.
The Hawley-Blumenthal bill would specifically mandate that new data centers plug into power sources separate from the grid, and that data centers already in operation shift to independent power sources within 10 years.
“American families should not have to shoulder the burden of the rising electricity costs produced by data centers in Missouri and across the country. This is unacceptable,” Hawley said in a statement.
