Democrats did not provide the Ratepayer Protection Act with the 60 votes needed to overcome the filibuster, blocking it in a procedural vote on Wednesday, 57-43.
Democratic Sens. Jon Ossoff (Ga.), Raphael Warnock (Ga.), Maggie Hassan (N.H.), and Amy Klobuchar (Minn.) voted with Republicans in favor of the bill.
Ossoff faces a tough Senate race in November, while Klobuchar is running for governor of Minnesota.
The measure, which has been pushed in the Senate by vulnerable Republican Sen. Jon Husted (Ohio), would force states to consider adopting standards to make tech companies pay for the additional electricity costs caused by data centers.
It does not actually force states to adopt these standards and could ultimately lead to no action, which is why its detractors are calling the legislation ineffective.
Democrats have said the chamber should instead take up legislation that makes Big Tech cover the cost.
“Americans are demanding real guardrails on AI and data centers, but all the Republicans offer is a toothless messaging bill. The bill is a fraud. I can sum up the shortcomings of the Republican data center bill with one word: optional. The bill is optional,” Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said Tuesday on the Senate floor.
The legislation’s supporters note that, while it won’t fix the entire data center energy cost problem, it could spur consideration of such standards in states that were not already taking action.
The Hill's Rachel Frazin has more here.
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