White House expands data center electricity cost pledge to utilities, states
Nearly 200 utilities, developers and governors joined the pledge as the White House said it now covers 80% of U.S. home and business power delivery.
- On Thursday, President Donald Trump announced that 23 governors signed his Ratepayer Protection Pledge to shield consumers from data center utility costs, with major utilities including NextEra and Duke Energy joining to expand coverage to 80 percent of U.S. power delivery.
- The pledge originated in March when seven major tech companies—Google, Microsoft, Meta, Oracle, xAI, OpenAI, and Amazon—committed to cover increased power costs as Trump expressed concerns about U.S.-China competition in artificial intelligence technology advancement.
- Seven Republican governors including Greg Abbott, Brian Kemp, and Bill Lee signed the pledge with no Democratic support; yet opposition to data centers has spread into Republican strongholds like rural Texas, where Democratic nominee Gina Hinojosa called them 'the Wild West.'
- Signatories agree to protect consumers from price hikes through the non-binding pledge, with companies negotiating individual rate structures directly with utilities and state governments, though White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt emphasized the president is 'ensuring Americans never foot the bill.'
- Consulting firm ICF projects monthly utility bills could rise 15 percent to 40 percent by 2030 as electricity demand grows, leaving uncertain whether consumers will see genuine savings while voters worry about environmental and affordability impacts.
36 Articles
36 Articles
Trump unveils Ratepayer Protection Pledge at EPA headquarters
President Donald Trump unveils the Ratepayer Protection Pledge during an event at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) headquarters in Washington, D.C. Joined by U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright, Trump outlines the administration's energy policy priorities and discusses efforts aimed at protecting American ratepayers.
Trump expands voluntary pledge to protect consumers from high utility bills from data centers
President Donald Trump is having governors and electricity companies join a pledge aimed at shielding U.S. consumers from higher utility bills because data centers. This move highlights the controversy surrounding AI development before the November midterm elections. Trump initially announced…
Trump delivers remarks at the Environmental Protection Agency
Watch live coverage as President Trump travels to the Environmental Protection Agency to discuss his administration's "Ratepayer Protection Pledge," which will call on companies to help pay for energy used by data centers.
Trump expanding pledge to keep AI data centers from costing Americans more
Nearly half the country’s governors, as well as dozens of utility companies and data center developers, have signed President Donald Trump’s voluntary pledge to help mitigate cost increases these massive energy consumers pass on to everyday Americans. Trump is slated to announce on Thursday that major utilities like Nextera and Duke Energy are joining the pledge, a White House official told The Hill. They join nearly 200 others in signing Trump’…
Trump to unveil massive coalition protecting Americans from rising costs as admin pursues a top priority
Donald Trump is set to announce an expanded coalition of governors, tech companies and power providers pledging not to pass data center utility costs along to American families.
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 46% of the sources are Center
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
