Bill · S. 3852· Senate(119-S-3852)
GRID Act
- Introduced
- 2/11/2026
- Last activity
- 2/11/2026 — Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
- Sponsored by
- Josh Hawley
- Cosponsors
- - 1 - 1
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
The GRID Act aims to ensure that data centers do not negatively impact the electrical rates paid by residential consumers. It prohibits covered entities from operating data centers that rely on the electric grid unless they obtain a Zero Rate Effect Certificate or use off-grid power. To get a certificate, the Secretary of Energy must determine that the data center will not increase electrical rates for ratepayers, prioritizing residential classes. Companies can also meet requirements by paying Rate Effect Credits to offset potential rate increases. Additionally, the bill mandates transparency through public reporting of utility usage and real property acquisitions.
Yes· 3 of 6
Does this make what the government does easier for the public to see?+7
The bill mandates public disclosure of utility usage, real property acquisitions, and financial agreements related to data centers.
Does this give people more protection from unfair business practices?+6
The bill protects residential ratepayers from increased electrical rates caused by data center operations.
Would union members be better off under this?+5
The bill mandates that companies constructing their own power sources must enter into project labor agreements.
The opposite
No question was scored the opposite.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
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Protection of Residential Rates: The bill requires the Secretary of Energy to prioritize the electrical rates of residential ratepayers over all other classes when determining if a data center's operation will increase costs (Section 4(b)(3) and Section 4(c)(2)).
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Increased Transparency: Covered entities would be required to provide public estimates of utility usage for both new and existing data centers (Section 5(a)).
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Public Disclosure of Property and Agreements: The bill mandates that companies disclose real property acquisitions intended for data centers, as well as any agreements or subsidies provided by utilities or governments (Section 5(b) and Section 5(c)).
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Labor Protections: Companies seeking to build their own power sources must enter into project labor agreements (Section 4(e)).
Potential Negative Impacts for People
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Strict Operational Requirements: Covered entities may be prohibited from building, owning, or operating data centers unless they derive all energy from sources separate from the electric grid, such as on-site generation or captive power plants (Section 4(a)(1)).
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Financial Burdens on Companies: Companies might have to pay Rate Effect Credits or enter into other financial arrangements to offset the impact of data centers on electrical rates (Section 4(c)(1)).
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Compliance and Reporting Obligations: Companies face significant new requirements to publicly disclose utility usage, real property transactions, and financial agreements with utilities (Section 5).
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High Penalties for Non-compliance: Violators of the off-grid power requirements are subject to civil penalties of at least $1,000,000 per day (Section 4(f)).
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Good For Union Workers+5Good For Low Income Households+4Good For Middle Class Households+4
- Economy And Finance
- Improves Consumer Protection+6Improves Union Protections+5
- Governance And Ideology
- Improves Government Transparency+7
- 8/7/2026
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 2/11/2026
- Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- Introduced in Senate
Richard BlumenthalDemocrat · Connecticut
Roger MarshallRepublican · Kansas