俄亥俄州共和党参议员乔恩·休斯德的《费率支付人保护法案》旨在缓解与数据中心相关的高昂电力成本，但即使该法案通过，也不清楚它是否会产生任何影响。
Sen. Jon Husted’s (R-Ohio) Ratepayer Protection Act aims to mitigate high electricity costs associated with data centers, but, even if it passes, it’s not clear if the bill would have any impact.
该立法以417比3的大比数轻松通过众议院，要求各州和部分电力公用事业公司考虑一项标准，根据该标准，数据中心将不得不为其巨大电力需求造成的额外成本买单。
The legislation, which easily cleared the House 417-3, requires states and some electric utilities to consider a standard under which data centers would have to pay for additional costs caused by their large power demand.
该法案并不要求采纳任何此类标准，而是表示将由各州或非受监管公用事业公司决定是否采纳任何此类标准。它们将有两年时间做出决定。
It does not require the adoption of any such standards, saying it would be up to the states or the non-regulated utilities to decide whether they want to take up any such standard. They would have two years to make that decision.
专家和电费倡导者在最近几周告诉《国会山报》，该法案可能是缓解数据中心电力成本的一步，因为它迫使那些尚未采取任何行动的州至少权衡政策变革。
Experts and electricity rate advocates have told The Hill in recent weeks that the bill could be a step toward mitigating data centers electricity costs by forcing states that are not already doing anything to at least weigh a change in policy.
公民公用事业委员会“消费者争取更好电网运动”主任克拉拉·萨默斯7月告诉《国会山报》：“有些州没有如此积极地解决这个问题……所以国会发出的信息说‘嘿，你们，在这个时间框架内，需要至少着手处理这个问题’，这是一个很好的推动。”
“There are states that are not addressing this issue as proactively … so having a message from Congress that says, ‘Hey, you, within this timeline, need to at least take up this issue,’ is a good push,” Clara Summers, director of the Consumers for a Better Grid Campaign at Citizens Utility Board, told The Hill in July.
联邦能源监管委员会前委员艾莉森·克莱门茨表示，对某些州而言，该法案的要求可能与近期委员会命令已指示它们做的事情重复。
Allison Clements, former commissioner of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, said that for some states, the bill’s requirements could be redundant of what they are already directed to do by a recent commission order.
“这是一个好的步骤吗？是的。但相对于这些挑战，它是否接近充分？不，”现为能源咨询公司804 Advisory负责人的民主党人克莱门茨说道。
“Is it a good step? Yes. Is it anywhere close to sufficient relative to these challenges? No,” said Clements, a Democrat who is now principal at energy consulting firm 804 Advisory.
虽然它在众议院顺利通过，但预计该法案将在参议院遭遇民主党阻力，多位议员批评它作用不大。
While it passed with flying colors in the House, the bill is expected to hit Democratic resistance in the Senate, where several lawmakers have criticized it as not doing very much.
“它毫无约束力，”科罗拉多州民主党参议员约翰·希肯卢珀周二告诉《国会山报》。
“It’s got no teeth in it,” Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.) told The Hill Tuesday.
赫斯特同时表示，该法案对于确保“美国家庭不必为数据中心所需的能源基础设施买单”至关重要。这位俄亥俄州共和党人正与前参议员谢罗德·布朗（民主党，俄亥俄州）陷入激烈的参议院竞选角逐。
Husted, meanwhile, has said the bill is important for ensuring “American families are not left footing the bill for energy infrastructure required by data centers.”The Ohio Republican is locked in a tight Senate race against former Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio).