# Alaska's Half Vote and a Federal Bill > "The Ratepayer Protection Act will ensure that data centers pay their own way, instead of passing costs onto hardworking families." Published 2026-09-13 by Alaska AI. 9 slides. Canonical: https://alaskaaihq.com/archive/2026-09-13/ ## What we verified - The short title of H.R. 9340 is the Ratepayer Protection Act. [U.S. Government Publishing Office, govinfo](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/BILLS-119hr9340rh/html/BILLS-119hr9340rh.htm), primary document, 2026-09-10. - The reported version of H.R. 9340 carries House Report number 119-814. [U.S. Government Publishing Office, govinfo](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/BILLS-119hr9340rh/html/BILLS-119hr9340rh.htm), primary document, 2026-09-10. - H.R. 9340 sits on the Union Calendar as number 713. [U.S. Government Publishing Office, govinfo](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/BILLS-119hr9340rh/html/BILLS-119hr9340rh.htm), primary document, 2026-09-10. - H.R. 9340 was reported in the House on September 10th, 2026 in the second session of the 119th Congress. [U.S. Government Publishing Office, govinfo](https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/BILLS-119hr9340rh), primary document, 2026-09-10. - H.R. 9340 defines a large-load customer around a peak electric demand of 100 megawatts or more. [U.S. Government Publishing Office, govinfo](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/BILLS-119hr9340rh/html/BILLS-119hr9340rh.htm), primary document, 2026-09-10. - The 100 megawatt threshold in H.R. 9340 is measured at a single site or campus. [U.S. Government Publishing Office, govinfo](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/BILLS-119hr9340rh/html/BILLS-119hr9340rh.htm), primary document, 2026-09-10. - H.R. 9340 reaches customers whose facilities require electric energy primarily to operate information technology infrastructure for data storage and computational applications. [U.S. Government Publishing Office, govinfo](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/BILLS-119hr9340rh/html/BILLS-119hr9340rh.htm), primary document, 2026-09-10. - The large-load customer definition in H.R. 9340 applies only to a non-residential consumer requesting or entering a contract on or after the date of enactment. [U.S. Government Publishing Office, govinfo](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/BILLS-119hr9340rh/html/BILLS-119hr9340rh.htm), primary document, 2026-09-10. - H.R. 9340 would require rates to a large-load customer to be designed to recover the full, incremental cost of any generation, transmission or distribution upgrade needed to serve that customer. [U.S. Government Publishing Office, govinfo](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/BILLS-119hr9340rh/html/BILLS-119hr9340rh.htm), primary document, 2026-09-10. - The cost recovery requirement in H.R. 9340 continues to apply if the large-load customer terminates its contract or stops buying power. [U.S. Government Publishing Office, govinfo](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/BILLS-119hr9340rh/html/BILLS-119hr9340rh.htm), primary document, 2026-09-10. - H.R. 9340 gives each State regulatory authority one year after enactment to commence consideration of the standard or set a hearing date. [U.S. Government Publishing Office, govinfo](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/BILLS-119hr9340rh/html/BILLS-119hr9340rh.htm), primary document, 2026-09-10. - H.R. 9340 gives each State regulatory authority two years after enactment to complete consideration and make a determination. [U.S. Government Publishing Office, govinfo](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/BILLS-119hr9340rh/html/BILLS-119hr9340rh.htm), primary document, 2026-09-10. - H.R. 9340 excuses a state from the consideration requirement if the state acted before the date of enactment of the subsection. [U.S. Government Publishing Office, govinfo](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/BILLS-119hr9340rh/html/BILLS-119hr9340rh.htm), primary document, 2026-09-10. - The first way a state qualifies for the H.R. 9340 exemption is having already implemented the standard or a comparable standard. [U.S. Government Publishing Office, govinfo](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/BILLS-119hr9340rh/html/BILLS-119hr9340rh.htm), primary document, 2026-09-10. - The second way a state qualifies for the H.R. 9340 exemption is having conducted a proceeding to consider implementing the standard. [U.S. Government Publishing Office, govinfo](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/BILLS-119hr9340rh/html/BILLS-119hr9340rh.htm), primary document, 2026-09-10. - The third way a state qualifies for the H.R. 9340 exemption is that the state legislature has voted on implementation of the standard. [U.S. Government Publishing Office, govinfo](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/BILLS-119hr9340rh/html/BILLS-119hr9340rh.htm), primary document, 2026-09-10. - The House Committee on Energy and Commerce advanced the Ratepayer Protection Act by a vote of 52 to 0. [U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce](https://energycommerce.house.gov/posts/ratepayer-protection-act-advances-from-house-committee-on-energy-and-commerce), primary document, 2026-07-21. - The Energy and Commerce committee vote on H.R. 9340 is reported by the committee under a July 21st, 2026 post. [U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce](https://energycommerce.house.gov/posts/ratepayer-protection-act-advances-from-house-committee-on-energy-and-commerce), primary document, 2026-07-21. - Energy and Commerce Chairman Brett Guthrie said the Ratepayer Protection Act will ensure that data centers pay their own way instead of passing costs onto hardworking families. [U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce](https://energycommerce.house.gov/posts/ratepayer-protection-act-advances-from-house-committee-on-energy-and-commerce), primary document, 2026-07-21. - H.R. 9340 does not appear on the published House floor schedule at docs.house.gov as read on September 13th, 2026. [Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives](https://docs.house.gov/floor/), primary document, 2026-09-13. - H.R. 9340 does not appear on the House majority leader's published schedule as read on September 13th, 2026. [Office of the House Majority Leader](https://www.majorityleader.gov/schedule), primary document, 2026-09-13. - The White House says 23 governors signed the Ratepayer Protection Pledge. [The White House](https://www.whitehouse.gov/ratepayer-protection-pledge/), primary document, 2026-09-13. - The White House says more than 300 organizations committed to the Ratepayer Protection Pledge. [The White House](https://www.whitehouse.gov/ratepayer-protection-pledge/), primary document, 2026-09-13. - The Ratepayer Protection Pledge asks signers to build, bring or buy every kilowatt their facilities need. [The White House](https://www.whitehouse.gov/ratepayer-protection-pledge/), primary document, 2026-09-13. - The Department of Transportation request for information on America's Great Corridors of Commerce carries docket number DOT-OST-2026-3269. [Federal Register, U.S. Department of Transportation](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/full_text/text/2026/09/11/2026-18521.txt), primary document, 2026-09-11. - Comments on the Department of Transportation corridors request for information are due by October 2nd, 2026. [Federal Register, U.S. Department of Transportation](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/full_text/text/2026/09/11/2026-18521.txt), primary document, 2026-09-11. - The Department of Transportation corridors notice says an aim is to incentivize data centers to locate close to the corridors for easy connectivity. [Federal Register, U.S. Department of Transportation](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/full_text/text/2026/09/11/2026-18521.txt), primary document, 2026-09-11. - The word Alaska does not appear in the Department of Transportation corridors request for information. [Federal Register, U.S. Department of Transportation](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/full_text/text/2026/09/11/2026-18521.txt), primary document, 2026-09-11. - The Department of Energy request for information on securing the bulk-power system carries docket number DOE-HQ-2026-1123. [Federal Register, U.S. Department of Energy](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/full_text/text/2026/09/09/2026-18370.txt), primary document, 2026-09-09. - Responses to the Department of Energy bulk-power system request for information are accepted on or before October 9th, 2026. [Federal Register, U.S. Department of Energy](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/full_text/text/2026/09/09/2026-18370.txt), primary document, 2026-09-09. - The Department of Energy notice says growth in advanced manufacturing, data centers, artificial intelligence and defense production has increased the nation's dependence on abundant, reliable electricity. [Federal Register, U.S. Department of Energy](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/full_text/text/2026/09/09/2026-18370.txt), primary document, 2026-09-09. - The Department of Energy will hold a public webinar on the bulk-power system request for information on September 16th, 2026. [Federal Register, U.S. Department of Energy](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/full_text/text/2026/09/09/2026-18370.txt), primary document, 2026-09-09. - The DeepGreen Cook Inlet preliminary permit application is docketed at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission as Project No. 15423-000. [Federal Register, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2026-09-04/html/2026-18151.htm), primary document, 2026-09-04. - Comments, motions to intervene and competing applications on the DeepGreen Cook Inlet permit are due by 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on November 2nd, 2026. [Federal Register, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2026-09-04/html/2026-18151.htm), primary document, 2026-09-04. - KTOO's Gavel Alaska archive lists SB 250 as data centers and utilities business in both a Senate floor session and the House Community and Regional Affairs Committee. [KTOO, Gavel Alaska](https://www.ktoo.org/?s=SB+250+data+centers), primary document, 2026-09-13. - The official title of Alaska Senate Bill 250 is An Act relating to data centers and relating to utility service for data centers. [BillTrack50](https://www.billtrack50.com/billdetail/1974439), report, 2026-09-13. - Alaska Senate Bill 250 was sponsored by Sen. Loki Tobin. [BillTrack50](https://www.billtrack50.com/billdetail/1974439), report, 2026-09-13. - Alaska Senate Bill 250 passed the Alaska Senate on May 16th, 2026. [Davis Wright Tremaine, Energy and Environmental Law Blog](https://www.dwt.com/blogs/energy--environmental-law-blog/2026/06/alaska-data-center-development-next-steps), report, 2026-06-29. - BillTrack50 records Alaska Senate Bill 250 as having crossed over on May 16th, 2026. [BillTrack50](https://www.billtrack50.com/billdetail/1974439), report, 2026-09-13. - After Senate passage SB 250 was referred to the House Community and Regional Affairs Committee where it died. [Davis Wright Tremaine, Energy and Environmental Law Blog](https://www.dwt.com/blogs/energy--environmental-law-blog/2026/06/alaska-data-center-development-next-steps), report, 2026-06-29. - SB 250 would have required electric and gas utilities to enter commission-approved contracts with data center customers so that costs attributable to those facilities are borne by the operators rather than shifted to other customers. [Davis Wright Tremaine, Energy and Environmental Law Blog](https://www.dwt.com/blogs/energy--environmental-law-blog/2026/06/alaska-data-center-development-next-steps), report, 2026-06-29. - SB 250 included reliability safeguards meant to prevent data center demand from adversely affecting fuel supplies or utility service for existing customers. [Davis Wright Tremaine, Energy and Environmental Law Blog](https://www.dwt.com/blogs/energy--environmental-law-blog/2026/06/alaska-data-center-development-next-steps), report, 2026-06-29. - Committee amendments to SB 250 would have required data centers to provide financial security where serving them made a utility incur capital investment costs above 1 million dollars. [Davis Wright Tremaine, Energy and Environmental Law Blog](https://www.dwt.com/blogs/energy--environmental-law-blog/2026/06/alaska-data-center-development-next-steps), report, 2026-06-29. - The last recorded action on SB 250 was a House Community and Regional Affairs Committee hearing on May 18th, 2026. [BillTrack50](https://www.billtrack50.com/billdetail/1974439), report, 2026-09-13. - BillTrack50 lists SB 250 with a status of dead as of May 20th, 2026. [BillTrack50](https://www.billtrack50.com/billdetail/1974439), report, 2026-09-13. - Neither available record shows the Alaska House ever taking a floor vote on SB 250. [Davis Wright Tremaine, Energy and Environmental Law Blog](https://www.dwt.com/blogs/energy--environmental-law-blog/2026/06/alaska-data-center-development-next-steps), report, 2026-06-29. Slides and the deck PDF are linked from the canonical page.