Menendez introduced the PRICE Act and Data Center Transparency Act to address rising energy bills and force more transparency on AI data-center impacts.
work to address rising energy bills and increase transparency on AI data center impacts
Occurrences
Our bills would protect Americans by requiring data centers to generate their own clean energy, transition to 100% renewable sources by 2040, and provide detailed, transparent reporting on their environmental footprint.
The PRICE Act would: Require data centers to generate the electricity they consume; Require that electricity generated by data centers be 75 percent renewable by 2035, and 100 percent renewable by 2040; and Require compliance with data centers being subject to a civil penalty of up to $100,000 per day until a violation is rectified.
The Data Center Transparency Act would: Require the Environmental Protection Agency to collect and update data every three months on the environmental impacts that data centers have on: Water, including water consumption, utility costs, and potential pollutants; Air pollution, including cumulative impacts on overburdened communities and greenhouse gases; and Require the Energy Information Administration to collect and update data every six months on energy consumption of data centers, including total energy consumption of data centers and changes costs for household energy bills.
I look forward to working to pass this legislation to protect our critical infrastructure, safeguard Americans’ personal data, and keep our communities safe.
responding to the Trump Administration's politically motivated decision to withhold funding for the Hudson Tunnel Project
Evidence
“Representatives Rob Menendez (NJ-08) and Greg Casar (TX-35) introduced the Preventing Rate Inflation in Consumer Energy (‘PRICE’) Act and the Data Center Transparency Act, legislation to address skyrocketing energy bills and the environmental impacts of data centers built for artificial intelligence (‘AI’) across the country.” The release says the bills would require EPA and EIA reporting on data center environmental impacts and energy consumption, including household energy bills.
The bill text states Menendez introduced H.R. 6984 on January 8, 2026, and that it was referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. The bill requires reports on the effects of data centers on air quality, water quality, and electricity consumption.
GovInfo lists the last action as January 8, 2026: Menendez, for himself and Mr. Casar, introduced the bill and it was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce.
Assessments
The evidence shows Menendez took concrete action on both parts of the promise by introducing the PRICE Act and the Data Center Transparency Act during the same term. The measures were directly aimed at addressing rising energy bills and increasing transparency about AI data center environmental and energy impacts. However, the legislative record provided shows only introduction and referral to committee, with no enactment or completed policy change. Because he materially pursued the promise but did not achieve the promised outcome, this is best scored as partial rather than delivered.