Federal bill filed to create centralized government control over data center grid connections and power demand management.

Wyoming U.S. Senator Cynthia Lummis (R) has filed federal legislation to impose controls on data centers and their access to the electrical grid. The move addresses a growing challenge as data centers seek the substantial power needed to operate their facilities.

The issue has become urgent in Oklahoma, where data center developers face mounting demand for grid access. The situation has prompted major state utilities, including Public Service Company of Oklahoma and Oklahoma Gas and Electric, to seek authority for expanded power generation projects in recent months.

The bill, called the POWER Up Act, represents one of the first federal-level attempts to establish uniform rules governing how data centers connect to the grid. Several states have already moved independently to address the issue. Oklahoma and Florida both enacted new rate classes for large load data centers over the past year, designed to mitigate their impact on other ratepayers. Similar rules have been proposed or passed in Ohio, North Carolina, and Virginia.

"When a facility wants to draw as much power as a city, that is not an ordinary retail question. It is a grid question," Lummis said. "Ratepayers need a clear process, informed by best practices, clear rules, and clear accountability. That is what this bill provides. America is going to need more power for data centers, advanced manufacturing, and the next generation of industry. The question is whether we handle that growth with clear rules and reliable planning, or with confusion and delay. Massive demand is here, and America needs a framework that supports investment in our communities while protecting the grid and the people who rely on it every day."

The bill defines a "large load facility" as any facility or group of co-located facilities with a projected peak demand of 100 megawatts or more. Such interconnections would fall under the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's existing "just and reasonable" standard. FERC would be required to issue a final rule within 18 months establishing standardized procedures for large load interconnection, including provisions for hybrid facilities that combine on-site generation with grid-connected load at a single point of interconnection. FERC retains the ability to adjust the 100-megawatt threshold by rule if grid reliability demands it.

Critically, the bill preserves state and local authority over siting, permitting, construction, retail rates, local distribution, and generation. It applies only to transmission-level connections.