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Senate Democrats Block Congressman Gabe Evans' Bipartisan Ratepayer Protection Act

Senate Democrats Block Congressman Gabe Evans' Bipartisan Ratepayer Protection Act

Senate Democrats have blocked Congressman Gabe Evans’ bipartisan Ratepayer Protection Act for the second time in two weeks, despite the legislation passing the U.S. House of Representatives with an overwhelming 417–3 vote. The bill, designed to shield American families, farmers, seniors, and small businesses from bearing the costs of new energy infrastructure required by large-load data centers, failed to advance in the Senate after receiving 57 votes (53 Republicans and 4 Democrats), falling short of the 60 votes needed. Colorado Senators Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper voted against the legislation, a move criticized by Congressman Evans, who stated that Senate Democrats prioritized 'political games' over a 'commonsense solution.' The Act would have required regulators in states without comparable protections to hold public hearings on a federal standard, ensuring large-load data centers pay the full incremental costs of new power generation, transmission, and distribution infrastructure. It also pr...
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Representative Jared Golden Co-Sponsors Bill to Limit Lawsuit Challenges on Energy Projects

Representative Jared Golden Co-Sponsors Bill to Limit Lawsuit Challenges on Energy Projects

Representative Jared Golden, a Democrat from Maine, is a co-sponsor of a bill that seeks to reduce the timeframe for legal challenges against energy projects. This legislation, known as the SPEED Act, was passed by the House in December 2025 and proposes a 150-day limit for lawsuits filed under federal environmental and historic review laws. Currently, opponents of energy projects have up to six years to file legal challenges under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The proposed deal, which Senate negotiators are working on, would significantly shorten this period. The Congressional Progressive Caucus previously opposed the House version of the bill, arguing that a 150-day window is 'unreasonably short.' The bill would require passage in both the Senate and the House, and presidential approval, to become law. President Trump has reportedly offered to ease administrative delays on wind and solar projects to gain Democratic support for such a deal.
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Congressman Riley Moore Co-Sponsors Ratepayer Protection Act to Shield Consumers from Data Center Energy Costs

Congressman Riley Moore Co-Sponsors Ratepayer Protection Act to Shield Consumers from Data Center Energy Costs

West Virginia Congressman Riley Moore has co-sponsored the 'Ratepayer Protection Act,' a bill recently passed by the U.S. House of Representatives. This legislation aims to prevent the costs associated with powering large data centers from being passed on to residential utility customers. The Act establishes a federal standard requiring utilities to design rates that ensure data centers consuming 100 megawatts or more cover the full cost of any new generation, transmission, or distribution infrastructure needed to serve them. This includes provisions for financial assurances from data centers to cover these upgrade costs upfront, even if a contract is later terminated. The bill intentionally sets broad federal guidelines, leaving the specifics of implementation and enforcement to individual states, which would have one year to consider and two years to decide on adopting the standards. Congressman Moore emphasized that the bill's scope is designed to avoid federal preemption of state laws, though he is ope...
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Federal Transmission Reforms Projected to Reduce Residential Electricity Bills by Billions

Federal Transmission Reforms Projected to Reduce Residential Electricity Bills by Billions

A new analysis by the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions (C2ES), in partnership with Greenline Insights, indicates that federal transmission reforms could significantly lower residential electricity bills. The modeling, which analyzed four regional power systems accounting for 54% of the nation's electricity demand, projects a nationwide reduction of approximately $19 billion in residential electricity bills between 2026 and 2040. Additionally, these reforms are expected to cut cumulative grid costs by about $125 billion over the same period. The analysis also forecasts a 9% decrease in carbon dioxide emissions from the power sector in these regions by 2035, amounting to 71 million tons. The proposed reforms include expanded interregional transmission and interconnection queue reforms, aiming to streamline the process of building transmission lines and connecting power to the grid. The energy mix in the reform scenario shows substantial increases in battery storage (up 65%), solar power (up 22%), and ...
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US Senate blocks bill to address data center costs

US Senate blocks bill to address data center costs

By Richard Cowan and Nichola Groom WASHINGTON, Sept 30 (Reuters) - The US Senate on Wednesday blocked legislation requiring state utility regulators to consider whether large electricity users, including data centers, should bear the incremental costs of power infrastructure built to serve them and
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Texas Grid-Scale Battery Market Faces Revenue Collapse Amid Rapid Expansion

Texas Grid-Scale Battery Market Faces Revenue Collapse Amid Rapid Expansion

Texas Grid-Scale Battery Market Faces Revenue Collapse Amid Rapid Expansion
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Puerto Rico faces record electric rate as demand and costs increase

Puerto Rico faces record electric rate as demand and costs increase

A record electric rate has gone into effect in Puerto Rico as outages persist and the U.S. territory’s power grid continues to crumble
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New Bangor Crisis Receiving Center Opens to Address Mental Health and Substance Use Crises

New Bangor Crisis Receiving Center Opens to Address Mental Health and Substance Use Crises

A new crisis receiving center in Bangor, Maine, held its ribbon-cutting ceremony on Wednesday, with plans to officially open its doors on October 5th. This facility is designed to serve as a 'new front door' for individuals aged 14 and older experiencing mental health, substance use, or suicidal crises, offering immediate, low-barrier support in a welcoming environment. Sarah Squirrell, Director of the Office of Behavioral Health, emphasized that the center aims to break down stigma and provide crucial assistance. This Bangor center is one of three such facilities in Maine, following the opening of the first in Portland in February 2022. Governor Mills noted that the Portland location has served over 3,500 people, with more than half visiting once or twice and over 90% leaving with a clear plan for next steps. The Maine legislature approved funding for new centers in Lewiston and Bangor in the wake of the 2023 mass shooting in Lewiston. The Bangor center, located at Community Health and Counseling Services...
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2026-27 Minnesota Women’s Hockey Season Preview

2026-27 Minnesota Women’s Hockey Season Preview

New Coach, Some New Players, Same Expectations—But Can the Gophers jump the Badgers and Buckeyes to get there?
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Senator Martin Heinrich Blocks Ratepayer Protection Act, Proposes GRID Savings Act for AI Data Center Costs

Senator Martin Heinrich Blocks Ratepayer Protection Act, Proposes GRID Savings Act for AI Data Center Costs

Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) has blocked the Ratepayer Protection Act in the Senate, arguing that the bipartisan legislation does not adequately protect U.S. consumers from the rising costs associated with AI-driven data centers. The Ratepayer Protection Act, which passed the House with overwhelming support (417-3), aimed to establish federal standards for state regulators when reviewing proposals for new customers with electricity demands of 100 megawatts or more, including large AI data centers. It also recommended charging large electricity customers for extra grid upgrade costs. Senator Heinrich, the top Democrat on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, stated that the measure "does not go far enough to protect U.S. consumers" and that "Congress needs to pass real legislation with real teeth." He has instead proposed the GRID Savings Act, introduced in July 2026, which would mandate that very large electricity users, such as AI data centers consuming 150 MW or more, directly pay for th...
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Southwestern Public Service Co. Proposes Large Load Tariff for Data Centers in Texas

Southwestern Public Service Co. Proposes Large Load Tariff for Data Centers in Texas

Southwestern Public Service Co. Proposes Large Load Tariff for Data Centers in Texas
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Senator Angus King Co-Sponsors Bipartisan Bill to Enhance High-Cost Prescription Drug Coverage for Veterans in State Homes

Senator Angus King Co-Sponsors Bipartisan Bill to Enhance High-Cost Prescription Drug Coverage for Veterans in State Homes

Senator Angus King (I-Maine) has joined Senator Jim Banks (R-IN) in introducing the Providing Veterans Essential Medications Act. This bipartisan bill aims to improve veterans' access to high-cost prescription drugs nationwide, specifically for those residing in State Veterans Homes (SVHs). The proposed legislation would mandate the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to reimburse SVHs for expensive medications that exceed 8.5% of the homes' per diem rate. This mirrors existing arrangements between the VA and many private contract nursing homes. Additionally, the bill could require the VA to directly supply these medications to SVHs. Currently, severely disabled veterans in state-run facilities do not receive the same high-cost medication coverage as those in private nursing homes or living independently, leading to financial strain on SVHs. The Maine Veterans' Home (MVH) highlighted this issue in its Fiscal Year 2025 report, noting that unreimbursed expenses for medically necessary care widen the gap betw...