On Wednesday, the House overwhelmingly approved a bill aimed at making artificial intelligence data centers pay for their substantial energy needs, as lawmakers used what was expected to be their final day in Washington before the midterm elections to address a growing voter concern.

The legislation would require state utility regulators to consider a standard under which utilities charge data centers the full cost of the new power and transmission upgrades needed to serve them.

The bill passed by a vote of 417-3.

Proponents of the bill characterized the legislation as a “modest first start” toward shielding families and businesses from rising utility bills.

Essentially, it offers a federal recommendation while preserving the states' power to regulate electricity markets.

"I assure you that this bill does not mark the end of our focus on these issues.

It is only the beginning," said Rep. Frank Pallone, the ranking Democrat on the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

Some lawmakers are calling for a full moratorium on AI data centers until safeguards are in place that ensure AI is safe and effective and that the data centers don't increase utility prices or harm the environment.

Meanwhile, more than 100 Democrats signed onto a letter this week that called on House Speaker Mike Johnson to keep the House in session this month until Congress advances meaningful artificial intelligence safeguards.

Johnson remarked that the bill which passed the House “strikes the right balance of protecting local communities while keeping America on the cutting edge of AI development.”

The debate over the bill produced differing views on the merits of data centers.

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., said that the development of a data center in Richland Parish in his home state had generated bonuses of up to $50,000 for local teachers as a result of increased tax collections.

"Those are the narratives you observe within communities that have embraced it," Scalise remarked.

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But Pallone said Americans have genuine concerns about what data centers will mean for them, adding that President Donald Trump and Republican congressional leaders have pushed those concerns aside.

He noted that Trump posted on social media that communities opposed to data centers must want to end up being “backwards and poor.”

"The president, in my estimation, is out of touch on this issue, and the American people are demanding action," Pallone said.

According to a new poll from the Reporters-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research and the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago, nearly two-thirds of Americans are extremely or very concerned about the impact of data centers on energy prices, and 57% are equally concerned about their effect on water supplies.

Rep. Gabe Evans, R-Colo., the bill’s sponsor, said the U.S. can either expand its power systems to meet demand or become reliant on countries like China for its digital infrastructure.

"We cannot sustain this growth by relying on Americans working hard to pay their electric bills at the end of the month," Evans said.