Pennsylvania's House Energy Committee advanced three bills on Wednesday aimed at preventing electricity customers from absorbing infrastructure costs tied to data center growth, after bills have risen by up to 20% two years in a row. House Bill 2828, introduced by Chairperson Elizabeth Fiedler (D-Philadelphia), would codify in state law that data center developers must pay for utility infrastructure upgrades needed to serve them, aligning with a Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission rate model issued in May. House Bill 2755, sponsored by Rep. Chris Pielli (D-Chester), would mandate investor-owned transmission companies join PJM Interconnection, eliminating a 0.5% profit bonus paid by customers; a similar move saved New Jersey ratepayers about $20 million a year. House Bill 2775, co-sponsored by Rep. Kyle Donahue (D-Lackawanna) and Fiedler, would require data center developers to apply for electric service and pay associated fees before seeking zoning approval, to filter out speculative projects.
The three bills together address cost allocation, utility profit incentives, and speculative demand forecasting, three distinct mechanisms by which data center expansion has been driving up electricity bills for residential customers in Pennsylvania. The committee's executive director said lawmakers are targeting passage before the legislative session ends in eight remaining voting days, giving the proposals near-term legislative urgency.
A Pennsylvania House committee passing proposals directly addressing data center cost allocation and utility profit regulation is a concrete legislative action with broad ratepayer implications. This is distinct from the already-published California and federal cost-shifting stories.