参议院的民主党议员阻止了一项旨在解决数据中心用电成本问题的法案，称该法案无效且“毫无实际作用”。尽管该法案在众议院获得了两党的大力支持并获得了通过，但民主党议员仍以57票对43票的结果在程序性投票中否决了它。这项法案由来自俄亥俄州的共和党参议员乔恩·赫斯特德推动，其核心内容是要求各州制定相关标准，迫使科技公司承担因数据中心运营而产生的额外电费。
Senate Democrats have blocked a bill that seeks to address data center electricity costs, calling it ineffective and "toothless," though the legislation passed the House with significant bipartisan support. The Democrats did not provide the Ratepayer Protection Act the 60 votes needed to overcome the filibuster, blocking it in a procedural vote on Wednesday, 57-43. The measure, which has been pushed in the Senate by vulnerable Republican Sen. Jon Husted (Ohio), would force states to consider adopting standards to make tech companies pay for the additional electricity costs caused by their data centers.
不过该法案实际上并未强制各州必须执行这些标准，因此其批评者认为它根本无法产生实际效果。民主党领袖查克·舒默在参议院表示：“美国人迫切需要针对人工智能和数据中心的监管措施，但共和党人提出的却只是一项毫无约束力的空洞法案。”该法案的支持者指出，虽然它无法彻底解决这一问题，但至少可以促使那些尚未采取行动的州开始考虑制定相关标准。
It does not actually force states to adopt these standards and could ultimately lead to no action, which is why its detractors are calling the legislation ineffective. Democrats have said that the chamber should instead take up legislation that mandates that Big Tech cover the cost. “Americans are demanding real guardrails on AI and data centers, but all the Republicans offer is a toothless messaging bill. The bill is a fraud. I can sum up the shortcomings of the Republican data center bill with one word: optional. The bill is optional,” Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said Tuesday on the Senate floor. The legislation’s supporters note that while it won’t fix the entire problem, it could spur consideration of such standards in states that were not already taking action.
该法案已于本月早些时候在众议院以417票对3票获得通过。目前，随着大型数据中心因高能耗而可能推高电价，这一议题正受到越来越多的公众关注；特别是在俄亥俄州，前参议员谢罗德·布朗（民主党）批评赫斯特德在担任副州长期间积极推动这些数据中心在该州落地。
The bill passed the House earlier this month 417-3. The Senate push comes as large data centers — and their potential to hike electricity rates due to their significant power demand — receive increasing public backlash. In Ohio in particular, former Sen. Sherrod Brown (D) who is running to try to oust Husted, has criticized his opponent as “the point man to bring these data centers to Ohio” during Husted’s time as lieutenant governor.
美国国家共和党参议员委员会的一份内部备忘录将数据中心描述为“拖累赫斯特的累赘”。然而，参议员们似乎准备再次解决电费承担人问题，称周三公布的两党许可改革立法包含条款，将确保数据中心开发商承担超额成本。参议员迈克·李（犹他州共和党人）特别将该条款归功于赫斯特。
An internal memo from the National Republican Senatorial Committee has described data centers as “the anchor hanging around Husted’s neck.”However, senators appear poised to take a second crack at the ratepayer issue, saying bipartisan permitting reform legislation unveiled on Wednesday has provisions that would ensure that data center developers have to pay for excess costs. Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) particularly credited Husted with the provision.