hold on there's just too much going on in Congress lmao...
Large data centers must self-generate electricity, mainly clean energy by 2040.
Mr. Menendez and Mr. Casar, Members of Congress.
Introduced in the House, awaiting committee review.
This bill, known as the PRICE Act, was introduced by Representatives Menendez and Casar. It requires data centers consuming at least 50 megawatts daily to generate all their own electricity. By 2035, 75% of this must come from clean sources, increasing to 100% by 2040. Non-compliance could lead to $100,000 daily civil penalties. It's currently in the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
Introduced Jan 8, 2026
This bill was introduced in the House of Representatives on January 8, 2026. It has been referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce for review. For it to become law, it must pass both the House and Senate, and then be signed by the President.
This bill would make it mandatory for large data centers, defined as those using at least 50 megawatts daily, to produce all the electricity they consume. Initially, 75% of this self-generated power would need to come from clean sources like solar or wind by 2035, increasing to 100% by 2040. Data centers that fail to meet these requirements could face significant daily civil penalties established by the Secretary of Energy.
Supporters Say
Supporters argue this bill reduces strain on the public energy grid and promotes clean energy use by data centers.
Critics Say
Critics might argue these requirements could increase operating costs for data centers, potentially raising prices for consumers.
This bill aims to stabilize energy costs by having data centers generate their own power, especially using renewable sources. However, implementing these changes would require significant investment from data center operators, which some worry could lead to increased costs for internet and cloud services, or impact the industry's competitiveness.