119th (2025–2027)
S. 4559
The Energy Cost Fairness and Reliability Act of 2026 addresses the strain that rapidly growing large electricity-consuming facilities, particularly artificial intelligence data centers, are placing on the nation's power grid and consumer electricity costs. The bill requires large load facilities exceeding 50 megawatts to bear 100 percent of their interconnection and network upgrade costs, demonstrate the ability to reduce power consumption when needed, and arrange for their own power generation. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission must establish new rules and a queue management system for interconnection requests, with priority given to facilities that install battery backup systems, use prevailing wage labor with registered apprentices, and sign labor peace agreements. The Department of Energy is directed to collect data on data center energy use, establish an AI testbed to develop more efficient technologies, and submit a report within 180 days with recommendations on grid reliability and interconnection improvements. The bill does not grant federal authority over state-regulated electricity rates and ensures that large load facilities cannot shift their infrastructure costs to other customers.