Fedorchak supports House passage of Ratepayer Protection Act to protect North Dakotans from the costs of data centers

September 16, 2026 Press Release Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Julie Fedorchak (R-ND) helped advance the bipartisan Ratepayer Protection Act (H.R. 9340), legislation to protect families and small businesses from electricity costs driven by new data centers and other large-load customers. The legislation directs utilities to require large-load customers to cover the full costs of serving them rather than shifting those expenses onto existing customers. It also requires upfront financial assurances to mitigate risks if projected electricity demand changes after grid investments are made. “No American should pay higher utility bills because of the infrastructure needed to serve new, large electricity users like data centers. Republicans are united in this belief and support the commonsense principle: those who cause costs on the system must pay for those costs—not hardworking families, seniors on fixed incomes, or small businesses,” Fedorchak said . “North Dakota requires large-load customers to cover the costs they impose on the electric system, protecting existing ratepayers while supporting economic growth. That's a model the rest of the country should follow, and the bipartisan Ratepayer Protection Act advances this principle.” The Ratepayer Protection Act establishes a framework for states to evaluate policies that prevent costs from being shifted to existing ratepayers. Specifically, the bill: Requires state utility commissions to consider policies that allocate the costs of serving new large-load customers fairly. Reinforces the longstanding "cost causation" principle that customers creating the need for new infrastructure should bear those expenses. Helps protect residential customers and small businesses from subsidizing infrastructure built primarily to serve data centers and other large electricity users. Encourages transparent and predictable cost allocation for companies making significant investments in new facilities. North Dakota has successfully implemented rate structures requiring large-load customers to cover the costs they impose on the electric system, leading to more than $30 million in savings for customers. The Ratepayer Protection Act now advances to the Senate for consideration.