This concurrent resolution states that the Ratepayer Protection Pledge, announced March 4, 2026, reflects sound national policy. The pledge was signed by several large technology companies. The pledge commits signatories to negotiate separate rate structures with utilities and state governments where they build data centers and to pay those rates for generation and delivery infrastructure even if they do not consume the electricity. The resolution says that this approach protects ratepayers from subsidizing private data center costs, can help keep electricity affordable, and can encourage companies to make backup generation available during grid scarcity. It also urges Federal agencies to support implementing the pledge and asks other technology firms to adopt similar commitments.
The resolution expresses Congress’s support for companies promising not to shift energy infrastructure costs onto other electricity customers. It asks the Department of Energy and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to help put the pledge into practice, including working with companies to speed permitting and interconnection of new energy resources. It does not itself change utility rules or create binding requirements.
The resolution does not itself authorize spending. No publicly available information on estimated federal costs or budget effects is provided in the text.
Supporters say the pledge prevents households, small businesses, schools, hospitals, and farms from subsidizing the energy infrastructure of large data center operators. They say the pledge can promote electricity affordability, make system costs more fair, and improve reliability by encouraging signatories to make backup power available during shortages. The resolution urges agencies to help implement these commitments and encourages additional companies to sign similar pledges.
No publicly available information.