Richard Blumenthal says Big Tech should "pay their fair share" of the electricity costs data centers impose
Richard BlumenthalU.S. Senator from Connecticut, in a statement released by Sen. Elizabeth Warren's office
Sen. Richard Blumenthal said the companies' responses did nothing to assure families that data centers would stop raising their utility bills, and that the companies should pay their fair share.
“We’ll keep up the pressure on Big Tech and work to hold companies accountable for the excessive electricity costs that they’re imposing on consumers. It’s time for Big Tech to put their money where their mouth is and pay their fair share”
Official statement
Where this statement fits
Should Google have to pay the full cost of shared grid upgrades its data centers trigger?
On January 12, 2026, Google told Senators Elizabeth Warren, Chris Van Hollen and Richard Blumenthal that it pays for all the electricity its data centers use and that it, not local residents, pays for new grid infrastructure required for its growth. On January 22, Warren said that paying an electricity bill is different from fully covering the infrastructure upgrade costs of Google's data centers. An October 2026 report by the three senators said the companies, including Google, commit to paying for infrastructure that serves only their facilities but not the full cost of wider network upgrades. In June 2026, testimony filed for Google in a Virginia utility case recommended letting large customers voluntarily pay the full upfront cost of the substations that serve them. On July 31, Virginia regulators ordered Dominion Energy to develop a policy assigning data centers the cost of the transmission that connects them, and Appalachian Power says revenue from Google's new load in Botetourt County will cover $264 million in upgrades. The dispute is over whether Google should pay the full cost of the shared grid upgrades its data centers trigger, rather than leaving part of that cost with other customers.
Source and context
Official statement
About this source
Warren distinguishes payment for consumed electricity from full payment for upgrades caused by data centers. This criticism precedes Google's June Virginia testimony.
Before the quotation
The senators released the companies' replies to their December 2025 inquiry on January 22, 2026. Blumenthal's statement opens by saying the responses "do nothing to assure families that energy-guzzling data centers will stop causing their utility bills to skyrocket."
After the quotation
The release continues with Van Hollen's statement, which says the companies still refuse to take full responsibility for the problems their data centers create.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
The case asks whether Google should pay the full cost of the shared grid upgrades its data centers trigger, rather than leaving part of that cost with other customers. Responding to the companies' replies, including Google's, Blumenthal says the senators will hold the companies accountable for "the excessive electricity costs that they're imposing on consumers" and that it is time for them to "pay their fair share". That argues the companies leave costs with other customers, so we labeled it Condemned. The closest competing label is Challenged the characterization, since he disputes the companies' assurances; it loses because he presses the companies to pay more rather than to describe their commitments differently.
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Appalachian Power says other customers are not expected to pay for the $264 million in grid upgrades for Google's Botetourt data center
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“In this case, the project adds a large new customer load, which is expected to bring in enough additional revenue to cover the cost of the transmission line and substation upgrades. Because the added revenue is expected to offset those costs, other customers are not expected to pay more because of this work”Read statement
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The Dispute Index. "Richard Blumenthal says Big Tech should "pay their fair share" of the electricity costs data centers impose". First published: 2026-10-11. Last updated: 2026-10-11. https://disputeindex.com/events/5579-sen-richard-blumenthal-said-the-companies-responses-did