WASHINGTON, DC — With the support of Representative Josh Riley (NY-19), the U.S. House passed the Ratepayer Protection Act, legislation to stop utilities from charging families and small businesses for the grid upgrades needed to power massive data centers, and make the tech companies driving that demand pay instead.
“Upstate New Yorkers shouldn’t be forced to foot the bill for massive data centers that none of us asked for,” said Riley. “If Big Tech wants to build in our communities, they can pay their own way. Our power bills are already way too high – this legislation makes sure that data centers don’t drive them even higher.”
Massive data center projects, which demand huge amounts of electricity, are moving ahead across Upstate New York and the country. Serving them requires costly grid upgrades and under current rules utility companies can pass those costs on to everyday ratepayers instead of the companies driving the demand. In the first half of 2025 alone, utilities across the country requested more than $29 billion in electricity rate increases – nearly double what they sought the year before – as they scramble to make infrastructure upgrades and meet increased need.
The Ratepayer Protection Act requires state utility regulators to establish new rules ensuring that families and small businesses do not face rate hikes to subsidize new power generation, transmission lines, and other upgrades needed to serve large-load customers like data centers. Instead, the large tech companies building these projects will be responsible for covering the full energy and infrastructure costs associated with them.
The vote builds on Riley’s own legislation, the FAIR Data Act, which stops data center projects from driving up energy bills for Upstate New Yorkers.
Riley’s has led the fight stand up to the utility monopolies and lower costs:
- February 13, 2025 — Introduced the Weatherization Enhancement and Readiness Act (H.R. 1355) to help families reduce energy usage and lower monthly utility bills
- September 18, 2025 — Introduced the Keep the Lights Local Act (H.R. 5487) to ban foreign corporations and governments from owning American utility companies
- December 10, 2025 — Introduced the No Bonuses for Utility Executives Act (H.R. 6590) to prohibit utility company executives from receiving bonuses when they raise rates faster than inflation.
- April 17, 2026 — Introduced the No Taxes on Utility Bills Act (H.R. 8350) to allow Upstate New Yorkers to to allow taxpayers to deduct taxes and state-mandated surcharges included on their gas and electric utility bills.
- April 29, 2026 — Introduced the Lowering Utility Bills Act (H.R. 8568) to crack down on utility companies overcharging customers.
- July 13, 2026 — Introduced the FAIR Data Act (H.R. 9655) to stop data center projects from driving up energy bills for Upstate New York families and small businesses.
- September 4, 2026 — Smart Meter Data Privacy Protection Act (H.R. 10284) to ban utility companies from selling Upstate New Yorkers’ private data and crack down on the misuse of personal information collected through smart meters.
- 2025–2026 — Served as an intervener in the Central Hudson and NYSEG rate cases, where he participated in proceedings and cross-examined utility companies on behalf of ratepayers.
You can read the text of the Ratepayer Protection Act HERE.
###
