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Congress·In Committee

Congress Proposes SHIELD Act to Protect Homeowners from Rising Power Costs Caused by Data Centers

SHIELD Act

about 2 months ago·View on Congress.gov

Legislative Progress

✓ Filed
Review
House
Senate
President

Key Points

  • This bill, introduced in Congress, targets 'large load facilities' that use a massive amount of electricity—at least 75 megawatts. This typically includes giant data centers and large industrial factories that put a heavy strain on the power grid.
  • The policy requires these big power users to pay the full cost of any upgrades to the electric grid, such as new power lines or plants, needed to support them. This prevents those expensive construction costs from being passed on to regular families and small businesses through higher monthly utility bills.
  • If a large facility closes down or uses less power than they originally planned, they are still responsible for paying back the costs of the grid upgrades. This ensures that regular customers aren't stuck paying for infrastructure that was only built to serve one big company.
  • The bill encourages big companies to be more responsible by giving priority to those that use clean energy like solar or wind. It also favors companies that use battery storage or agree to use less power during 'peak' times when the grid is most stressed.
  • State regulators would have one year to start reviewing these new standards and two years to make a final decision on how to use them. This gives local officials time to figure out the best way to apply the rules to their specific communities.
Energy EnvironmentTechnology DigitalEconomy Finance

Impact Analysis

Scores: 1 = low, 5 = highSentiment: -5 to +5 (net benefit)

State Impacts

Scores: 1 = low, 5 = highSentiment: -5 to +5 (net benefit)

Milestones

2 milestones2 actions
Jan 14, 2026House

Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

Jan 14, 2026

Introduced in House

Related News

3 articles
Diya TV·21 days ago

Bipartisan GRID Act targets data center power costs

The SHIELD Act, introduced by Reps. Mike Levin and Kathy Castor, is part of a wave of legislation aimed at preventing data centers from shifting grid upgrade costs onto residential customers. The bill would update federal utility policy to create separate rate classes for large users.

C=
Realtor.com·8 days ago

Trump Vows To Protect Customers Over Rising Energy Costs From Data Centers

Rep. Mike Levin challenged President Trump's energy pledge, arguing that the SHIELD Act is necessary to turn promises into law. The act would update federal policy to ensure large power users, not residential customers, pay for the infrastructure needed to support their massive energy demands.

C~
Politico Pro·6 days ago

Bipartisan permitting plan seeks to expand grid capacity

Lawmakers are scrambling to address rising energy demand from data centers. The SHIELD Act is one of several legislative proposals winding through Congress that would require massive electricity users to bear the costs of the grid infrastructure they require.

CL=

Source Information

Document Type

Congressional Bill

Official Title

SHIELD Act

Bill NumberHR 7066
Congress119th Congress
ChamberHouse of Representatives
Latest ActionReferred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

Sponsor

Cosponsors

(10)
D: 10

Analysis generated by AI. While we strive for accuracy, this should not be considered legal or professional advice. Always verify information with official government sources.