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House approves bill to shield ratepayers from data‑center connection costs after hourslong debate
Summary
The Pennsylvania House passed House Bill 18-34, 104-95, after a lengthy floor debate in which supporters said the bill protects ratepayers by forcing data centers to bear connection costs and opponents said it fails to secure new generation and risks local control and higher bills.
The Pennsylvania House on March 24 passed House Bill 18-34, a first-of-its-kind measure aimed at preventing utilities from passing data‑center connection costs onto residential and small-business ratepayers. The bill passed on final passage by a vote of 104 to 95 and will be transmitted to the Senate for concurrence.
Representative Rob Mazzi, the bill’s sponsor, told the chamber the measure focuses on ratepayer protection and accountability. “House bill 18 34 says costs fall entirely on the data center,” Mazzi said, arguing the bill makes the companies — not households — responsible for upgrades and connections to the distribution system.
Opponents said the bill fails to address the underlying need for new generation and could shift other costs or regulatory authority. “This bill does nothing about it. Nothing,” Representative Williams (Delaware County) said, arguing the measure does not require the companies to build new generation in Pennsylvania and therefore does not solve the state’s long‑term electricity affordability problems.
Lawmakers on both sides described concerns about local control, water use and the scale of energy demand associated with hyperscale data centers. Representative Roe said: “Data centers are coming to Pennsylvania. That’s just reality,” and urged a balance between welcoming investment and protecting communities. Representative Nelson warned that aggressive mandates could drive projects out of state.
Supporters pointed to the bill’s provisions meant to protect ratepayers, including language that keeps costs attributable to data‑center connections from being spread to ordinary customers. Mazzi also noted incentives in the bill for developers to bring on-site generation, while saying a company could still connect largely to conventional generation if it chose.
The debate included technical and economic claims about generation and grid capacity. Members referenced PJM (the regional transmission organization) and the governor’s “responsible infrastructure development” principles as context for the discussion, and several members urged further work on generation and siting in separate bills.
The House vote formalized the measure’s passage in the chamber; the clerk recorded the final tally as 104 yeas and 95 nays. The bill will be presented to the Senate for its consideration. No record in this session shows final Senate action.
Next steps: HB 18-34 will proceed to the Senate for consideration; sponsors and opponents indicated further technical changes and companion measures addressing generation, water use and siting may be considered separately.
