The legislation would require independent reviews of a project’s potential effects on local water supplies and electric reliability.
Require independent reviews to ensure covered data center projects do not materially reduce local water supplies or electric reliability for existing customers.
Occurrences
Evidence
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GovInfo lists H.R. 10139, sponsored by Henry Cuellar, as introduced in the House with last action on August 24, 2026: referral to the House Energy and Commerce and Education and Workforce Committees. The bill text requires independent water and electric reliability assessments before final service commitments for covered data centers.
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Cuellar's office announced that he introduced the Ratepayer Bill of Rights Act of 2026 and said the legislation would require independent reviews of covered data center projects' effects on local water supplies and electric reliability.
Assessments
Cuellar introduced H.R. 10139 in the 119th Congress, and the bill text directly matches the promise by requiring independent water and electric reliability assessments for covered data center projects. However, as of September 7, 2026, the bill remains introduced/referred in House committees and has not been enacted or otherwise implemented as a binding federal requirement. This is a serious same-term legislative attempt, but the promised requirement has not been delivered.