Power for the People Act of 2026

Key Points

• The bill creates a special waiting line ("load queue") for data centers wanting to connect to the power grid. Data centers that use clean energy, pay for their own infrastructure, and meet labor standards get priority. Grid operators can delay or deny connection if a data center would hurt grid reliability or raise costs for other customers.
• Data centers would be required to bring their own new power supply to the grid, enough to fully serve the facility, using low- or no-carbon generation. They must also use clean backup power (no diesel generators) and can offset some demand with battery storage or agreements to reduce usage during emergencies.
• States would be required to consider creating a special electricity rate class just for data centers. This could include minimum demand charges, longer utility contracts, higher upfront deposits, and tools to make sure regular customers are not subsidizing the massive electricity needs of data centers.
• The bill requires data center construction and associated energy projects to pay prevailing wages and use registered apprenticeship programs. Operators of new energy supply resources must also agree to labor peace agreements, supporting unionized workforces.
• FERC must create transparency and disclosure rules for data center interconnection requests to improve electricity demand forecasting. The Department of Energy would also provide grants and technical help to states creating data center rate classes, and to grid operators improving their long-term load projections.