RATEPAYER PROTECTION ACT

On 2026-09-30, Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN) delivered a floor speech titled "RATEPAYER PROTECTION ACT" in the Senate.

RATEPAYER PROTECTION ACT

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 155 (Wednesday, September 30, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 155 (Wednesday, September 30, 2026)] [Senate] [Pages S5193-S5194] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] RATEPAYER PROTECTION ACT Mr. HAGERTY. Mr. President, I rise in support of my esteemed colleague from Ohio, and I want to join him and applaud his leadership on this critical legislation. Why? Because America is undergoing technological advancement at unprecedented speed. As we push new frontiers in this new era of superintelligence, innovation can have a tremendously positive impact on our society and on our Nation's competitiveness. At the same time, we find ourselves neck and neck with adversaries racing to harness this technology for their own purposes. It is crucial that we keep up the pace, particularly regarding the development of large language models and computing power heretofore at levels unseen. Our objective is clear: The United States must remain at the leading edge. To do so, we need more energy. Conversations are taking place across the United States right now about how we will meet this increased energy demand in order to power superintelligence. The overarching concern is that we do so responsibly and with local community needs in mind. [[Page S5194]] Companies at the frontier of this emerging technology have the resources to pay for the infrastructure and the costs associated to run these facilities. Importantly, these costs should not be borne by American families nor by American businesses. My colleague from Ohio has worked incredibly hard to get this bill across the finish line and deliver basic protections for the American people. The public is overwhelmingly in favor of the protections it would provide. Many States have already embraced it, including my home State of Tennessee. Tennessee adopted President Trump's Ratepayer Protection Pledge while preserving the ability of local communities to make decisions about data center development. The communities that have chosen to welcome innovation have seen incredibly positive impacts: more jobs, new investment, and an increase in their tax base that can allow for a full range of options from lower property taxes to greater investment in local public resources. Importantly, we are doing so while ensuring that the cost for addressing the energy demands of data centers aren't passed along to Tennessee families nor Tennessee businesses. What is the only thing standing in the way of enacting these protections? What is standing in the way? It is my colleagues on the other side of the aisle. In the House, the Ratepayer Protection Pledge passed on an overwhelmingly bipartisan basis with a vote of 417 to 3. You almost never see that level of consensus in Washington, and yet, last week, Senate Democrats blocked it from passing right here on the Senate floor. Unbelievable. Unbelievable. Instead of comprehensive measures that put the decision-making power in the hands of State and local communities, my colleagues across the aisle want Washington to decide, making sweeping decisions for our Nation without input from the towns and the cities it would directly impact. I can't stress this enough: Removing local choice and imposing blanket data center moratoriums are not the answer to responsible innovation. In fact, it is precisely what will kill innovation and put America underwater in the technological race against our adversaries. When it comes to investing in this new future, communities should be in the driver's seat. Localities should be able to decide when, where, and whether they should permit these facilities, especially when they have so much to gain from the investment. Sadly, we have seen a massive amount of misinformation circulating about data centers: their costs, their energy consumption, their wastewater usage, their noise levels. The truth is, we can find solutions to the concerns of Tennesseans and Americans, while putting the United States in the best possible position to succeed. We need to speak out against these false claims, put a stop to the fearmongering that is jeopardizing America's opportunity to lead in this critical area for our economy and for our national security, and we must clearly communicate the advantages that communities can have when they embrace American energy and American technological ingenuity--all the while protecting, and even bettering, the lives of Americans. It is time to pass the Ratepayer Protection Act. But here we are in an election season. Fearmongering is taking precedence over responsible and thoughtful action. False claims abound while America's technology leadership hangs in the balance. We should move responsibly, protect American communities, and support our Nation's economic and national security. The House of Representatives has seized this opportunity. It is time for the Senate to set partisan politics aside and pass the Ratepayer Protection Act. I yield the floor. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Nebraska. ____________________