Committee turns data‑center bill into a legislative study; several energy, water and firearms measures advance or fail

The House Energy and Natural Resources committee voted Wednesday to convert House Bill 15‑79 into a legislative study of the impact of large energy consumers, including data centers, on the electrical grid and state regulatory structure, and then advanced the bill to the next stage as amended.

Representative Paul Novak, the bill presenter, said the subcommittee could not reach agreement across varied stakeholders and proposed making the measure a study during the 2526 interim. "This is a really important, really important topic, especially for this this committee, and the high energy uses usages of, data centers," Novak said.

The amendment adopted by the committee added direction that the study evaluate necessary upgrades, include cost estimates and how costs would be allocated. The panel also expanded invited participants to include investor‑owned utilities, rural electric cooperatives, municipal power providers, independent power producers, the Petroleum Council, and regional transmission organizations (MISO and SPP); language naming the attorney general's office was removed. The committee passed the amended bill by roll call; the clerk recorded the final tally as 10‑0‑3 and…