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Heinrich Blocks Unanimous Vote on Ratepayer Protection Act

By Drooid · Sep 17, 2026, 11:31 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

Senator Martin Heinrich blocked the Senate’s unanimous-consent vote on the Ratepayer Protection Act on September 17, 2026.
He called the measure toothless because it only urges states to consider data-center payments without mandating them.
The House passed the Ratepayer Protection Act 417-3, with Representatives Summer Lee, Delia Ramirez and Rashida Tlaib opposing.
Heinrich introduced the GRID Savings Act, requiring large-load customers like data centers to pay for grid connections.

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Story summary

Senator Martin Heinrich blocked the Senate’s unanimous-consent vote on the Ratepayer Protection Act on September 17, 2026.
He called the measure toothless because it only urges states to consider data-center payments without mandating them.
The House passed the Ratepayer Protection Act 417-3, with Representatives Summer Lee, Delia Ramirez and Rashida Tlaib opposing.
Heinrich introduced the GRID Savings Act, requiring large-load customers like data centers to pay for grid connections.