States are pressured to address rising electric bills caused by energy-intensive data centers. The true impact on electricity bills remains unclear, and there is skepticism about states' resolve in confronting large tech companies. More than a dozen states are taking measures, including urging power grid operators to limit price hikes and examining data centers' effects on electrical costs. Data centers may consume electricity equivalent to large cities, prompting a reevaluation of cost distribution among consumers. Critics argue that excessive infrastructure is being built for a few wealthy companies, challenging existing economic paradigms.
"A lot of this infrastructure, billions of dollars of it, is being built just for a few customers and a few facilities and these happen to be the wealthiest companies in the world," said Ari Peskoe, who directs the Electricity Law Initiative at Harvard University. "I think some of the fundamental assumptions behind all this just kind of breaks down."
Rising power bills are 'something legislators have been hearing a lot about. It's something we've been hearing a lot about. More people are speaking out at the public utility commission in the past year than I've ever seen before,' said Charlotte Shuff of the Oregon Citizens' Utility Board, a consumer advocacy group. 'There's a massive outcry.'
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