The federal bill that would make a 100 megawatt customer pay for its own wires
H.R. 9340, the Ratepayer Protection Act, would add a standard to the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act requiring that rates charged a large-load customer recover from that customer the full, incremental cost of any generation, transmission or distribution upgrade needed to serve it, and keep recovering it if the customer walks away. A large-load customer is a non-residential consumer with aggregate peak demand of 100 megawatts or more at one site or campus, running information technology infrastructure for data storage and computation, which is a data center described without the phrase. State regulators would get one year from enactment to begin considering it and two to decide. A state is excused if, before enactment, it implemented a comparable standard, conducted a proceeding on one, or its legislature voted on one. Alaska's Senate passed SB 250, a comparable cost-allocation bill, on May 16th, and the House never voted. Whether one chamber satisfies the words the State legislature has voted is unresolved, and it decides whether Alaska is already excused.
How the public reaches this
There is no comment room on a bill. The route is the congressional delegation, and after enactment it becomes a proceeding at the Regulatory Commission of Alaska, which is a room with a docket and a public record. The House passed the bill on September 16th and the Senate declined to take it up on September 30th, so it waits on the lame-duck session that opens November 9th.
Timeline
Sources
Every document a fact on this page was checked against.
U.S. Government Publishing Office, govinfo, reported bill text
U.S. Government Publishing Office, govinfo, Senate calendar print
How this decision moved
One dated line per material change, oldest first.
2026-09-13 Tracked. The threshold is aggregate peak demand, which is power, so a project describing its output in megawatts of generation is not automatically above or below the line. The Alaska question is the third exemption prong. SB 250 passed the Senate on May 16th per Davis Wright Tremaine, crossed over the same day per BillTrack50, then died in House Community and Regional Affairs after a May 18th hearing. The second prong, a proceeding by the state commission alone, is unknown here because that docket search refuses an automated read.
2026-09-17 The House passed it. On September 16th the House agreed to H.R. 9340 on a motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill as amended, by 417 to 3 on Roll No. 312, with 210 Republicans and 206 Democrats voting yes and 3 Democrats voting no. This entry said on September 13th that the bill was eligible for floor action and not scheduled for it, which was true when written and is now overtaken. The bill goes to the Senate. The Alaska consequence is unchanged, a state commission proceeding on large load rates for customers drawing 100 megawatts or more at a single site or campus, which would land at the Regulatory Commission of Alaska.
2026-09-21 Re-verified today. The House passed the bill on September 16th by 417 to 3, and the engrossed House text was issued the same day under the official title "An Act To amend the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 to establish a Federal standard relating to the recovery of the full, incremental costs of upgrades that serve large-load customers, and for other purposes." The bill is now before the Senate, which has not acted on it. The standard it would set applies to new large-load customers drawing 100 megawatts or more, which is the class every proposed Alaska data center falls into.
2026-09-25 Re-verified today against govinfo. The most recent published text is still the version engrossed in the House on September 16th, after passage 417 to 3. No Senate version or later text has been published. Checked and unchanged.
2026-09-27 Re-read the House Clerk's record of Roll No. 312 today. H.R. 9340 passed on September 16th by 417 to 3, with 12 members not voting, and Alaska's Representative Nick Begich voted yes. Roll Call reported on September 24th that the Senate is expected to vote on the bill the following week, with Senator Jon Husted of Ohio sponsoring it there. Alaska's News Source reported that the Senate is scheduled to work in Washington until September 30th. No Senate text has been published.
2026-09-28 Updated. The bill is now on the Senate's legislative calendar. The Senate print published on govinfo shows it received in the Senate on September 17th, read the first time on September 23rd, and read the second time and placed on the calendar as Calendar No. 684 on September 24th. No Senate vote has been recorded.
2026-09-29 Checked govinfo today. The Senate print placed on the calendar as Calendar No. 684 is the latest published version and no Senate passage is recorded. Checked and unchanged.
2026-09-30 Updated. The Library of Congress bill status record on govinfo shows the Senate taking the bill up. A motion to proceed was made on September 28th and a cloture motion on that motion was presented the same day (Congressional Record S5065), and a motion to proceed was made again on September 29th (S5186). No Senate passage vote is recorded.
2026-10-01 Updated from the Senate's own roll call. On September 30th at 12:51 p.m. the Senate rejected cloture on the motion to proceed to the bill, 57 to 43, with three-fifths required, and the motion to proceed was withdrawn the same day. Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan both voted yea. In the House on September 16th, Representative Nick Begich voted yea on the 417 to 3 passage vote, per the Clerk's roll call 312. The Senate left for its campaign break that night and returns November 9th, as reported by States Newsroom.
2026-10-05 Checked GovInfo today. The engrossed House text of September 16th is still the latest published version, and no further Senate action has been published since the September 30th cloture vote. Checked and unchanged.
2026-10-09 Checked GovInfo today. The latest published versions are still the engrossed House text and the Senate calendar print, with no Senate-passed or enrolled version, so no further Senate action has been published. Checked and unchanged.
2026-10-14 GovInfo's bill collection and Congress.gov could not be read today, so no Senate action after the September 30th cloture vote could be confirmed. The Senate's lame-duck session begins November 9th.
2026-10-20 Read the bill status record on GovInfo today. Its latest action is still September 30th, when cloture on the motion to proceed failed 57 to 43 in the Senate and the motion was withdrawn. Checked and unchanged.
2026-10-24 GovInfo's record today showed only the House reported text, and Congress.gov refused an automated read, so no Senate action after the September 30th cloture vote could be confirmed. The Senate's lame-duck session begins November 9th.
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Cite this
Alaska AI Docket, The federal bill that would make a 100 megawatt customer pay for its own wires.
Tracked since September 13th, last verified
October 24th. https://alaskaaihq.com/docket/hr-9340-ratepayer-protection-act/ · Reuse permitted under
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What is The federal bill that would make a 100 megawatt customer pay for its own wires?
H.R. 9340, the Ratepayer Protection Act, would add a standard to the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act requiring that rates charged a large-load customer recover from that customer the...
Who decides The federal bill that would make a 100 megawatt customer pay for its own wires?
U.S. House of Representatives, then the Senate and the President, and after that every state regulatory authority including the Regulatory Commission of Alaska
Can I comment on The federal bill that would make a 100 megawatt customer pay for its own wires?
There is no comment room on a bill. The route is the congressional delegation, and after enactment it becomes a proceeding at the Regulatory Commission of Alaska, which is a room with a docket and a public record. The House passed the bill on September 16th...
What is the next date for The federal bill that would make a 100 megawatt customer pay for its own wires?
November 9th, 12 days out. The Senate returns for a five-week lame-duck session, per States Newsroom
Has The federal bill that would make a 100 megawatt customer pay for its own wires been decided?
It is pending a decision. GovInfo's record today showed only the House reported text, and Congress.gov refused an automated read, so no Senate action after the September 30th cloture vote could...
What happens next with The federal bill that would make a 100 megawatt customer pay for its own wires?
The Senate returns for a five-week lame-duck session, per States Newsroom, November 9th, 12 days out.
What changed on The federal bill that would make a 100 megawatt customer pay for its own wires?
GovInfo's record today showed only the House reported text, and Congress.gov refused an automated read, so no Senate action after the September 30th cloture vote could...
What kind of decision is The federal bill that would make a 100 megawatt customer pay for its own wires?
A legislation, decided by U.S. House of Representatives, then the Senate and the President, and after that every state regulatory authority including the Regulatory Commission of Alaska.
When did The federal bill that would make a 100 megawatt customer pay for its own wires start?
Tracked since September 13th, 45 days ago. The earliest date on its record is July 21st.
Where can I read the sources for The federal bill that would make a 100 megawatt customer pay for its own wires?
U.S. Government Publishing Office, govinfo, reported bill text, U.S. Government Publishing Office, govinfo, U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce, Davis Wright Tremaine, Energy and Environmental Law Blog, BillTrack50, Alaska SB 250, U.S. House Republican Cloakroom, floor record, House Committee on Energy and Commerce, Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives, Roll Call, Alaska's News Source, U.S. Government Publishing Office, govinfo, Senate calendar print, Library of Congress bill status on govinfo, U.S. Senate, roll call vote 254, Office of the Clerk, U.S. House, roll call 312. Every one is listed with its date on the decision page.
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