White House Pledge: AI Data Centers Agree To Fund Their Own Power, Not Ratepayers

The White House announced that the Ratepayer Protection Pledge now covers roughly 80% of the electricity delivered to American homes and businesses.

President Donald Trump expanded the voluntary initiative, which requires data center developers, technology companies, utilities, and other stakeholders to pay the full costs of new power generation and grid upgrades needed for artificial intelligence and data centers rather than shifting those expenses onto residential and small business customers.

What the Ratepayer Protection Pledge Requires

First introduced in March 2026, the pledge commits signatories to five core principles:

1. Build, bring, or buy new power supply and pay the full cost of generation resources needed for their facilities.
2. Cover all new power delivery infrastructure upgrades required to serve data centers so those costs are not passed to ordinary households.
3. Pay for the power and infrastructure whether or not the electricity is fully used, through separate rate structures negotiated with utilities and states.
4. Invest in local jobs and workforce development in communities where facilities are built.
5. Contribute to grid and community resilience by coordinating with operators and making backup generation available during shortages when possible.

The White House noted that more than 200 organizations have signed, including major hyperscalers and AI companies, more than 150 utilities and cooperatives, dozens of data center developers, and 23 governors.

In a July 23 post on X, the White House stated that “The Ratepayer Protection Pledge now covers roughly 80% of the electricity delivered to American homes and businesses. Discover which companies have signed on and how the pledge is protecting YOU.”

🇺🇸 The Ratepayer Protection Pledge now covers roughly 80% of the electricity delivered to American homes and businesses.

Discover which companies have signed on and how the pledge is protecting YOU. 📲 https://t.co/hlSqNYqiCd pic.twitter.com/uvOCPpN0Kd

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) July 23, 2026

Expansion and Coverage

The pledge began with leading technology companies in March and has since Ratepayer Protection Pledge page, the commitments now reach approximately 263 million Americans, or 75% of the U.S. population, and 80 percent of power delivered to homes and businesses.

Implications for Texas Residents

Several major Texas utilities and cooperatives have signed the pledge, including AEP Texas, CenterPoint Energy, El Paso Electric, Southwestern Electric Power Company, and United Cooperative Services.

For residential and small business customers served by these providers, the pledge means data center operators are expected to fund the additional generation and infrastructure required for their facilities rather than incorporating those costs into general ratepayer bills.

Texas has also pursued parallel state-level measures. In June 2026, Gov. Greg Abbott Background and Next Steps

The White House has described the pledge as a non-binding public commitment designed to support American leadership in artificial intelligence and data infrastructure while protecting household electricity affordability. Officials noted that data centers support a wide range of modern services, from cloud computing and banking to emergency services, but stressed that the energy demands of these facilities should not raise bills for everyday customers.

A full list of signatories and additional details are available on the White House Ratepayer Protection Pledge page.

The administration continues to encourage additional utilities, developers, and states to join.

Provided by Dallas Express