- The Ratepayer Protection Act is criticized for being largely voluntary and ineffective in protecting consumers from rising electricity costs due to datacenters.
- Datacenter expansion has caused electricity prices to spike by up to 267% in some regions, with significant increases in wholesale prices and other hidden costs.
- The bill prioritizes datacenter and utility needs, offering benefits like faster construction and grid connections, while ignoring broader public costs like water use and pollution.
- Consumer advocates argue the bill fails to address cumulative environmental impacts, such as water resource depletion and PFAS pollution from cooling systems.
- Proposed measures include reducing environmental reviews under NEPA, which could accelerate datacenter development instead of slowing it for community protection.
- Critics call for a moratorium on new AI datacenter projects and stronger regulatory oversight to prioritize community well-being over rapid industry growth.
- State utility commissions, already accused of favoring datacenters, are given only voluntary guidelines to control costs, making meaningful consumer protection unlikely.