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This week, Congresswoman Veronica Escobar (TX-16) joined over 130 House Democrats led by the House Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition (SEEC) Clean Energy Deployment Task Force Co-Chairs Reps. Mike Levin (CA-49) and Sean Casten (IL-06) on the Energy Bills Relief Act, a family- and consumer-focused approach to United States energy policy that ensures Americans have access to the most reliable and low-cost source of power available – renewable energy.

“Hardworking Americans are already facing skyrocketing utility bills, so it’s no wonder rate payers are afraid of being saddled with utility cost increases that might come from energy-intensive data centers," said Congresswoman Escobar. "I'm proud to cosponsor the Energy Bills Relief Act, which would ensure consumers aren't on the hook for higher energy costs. Corporations have been unwilling to meaningfully engage with communities or be transparent about their data centers, so we can’t risk them passing on their costs to consumers as well; this legislation provides guardrails to prevent that from happening."

Electricity rates are surging nationwide, and millions of households are struggling to pay their rising energy bills. The most effective way to lower utility costs for American households is to expand access to renewable energy — the most reliable and low-cost energy source.

We have the tools to power America with abundant, reliable, American-made clean energy. The missing link between those tools and expanded access to that low-cost and efficient energy is a consumer-first energy policy.

For too long, U.S. energy policy has boosted the profits of energy producers at the expense of energy consumers. The Energy Bills Relief Act shifts our focus to lowering costs and increasing reliability for American homes and businesses by deploying more renewable energy. It is firmly rooted in the American values of choice and competition. It prioritizes consumers and ensures access to low-cost energy for our homes, businesses, and economy.

• Reinstates the 2022 tax credits for home and system-wide energy improvements that were ended by President Trump and Congressional Republicans
• Incentivizes utility companies to save consumers’ money by rewarding them for making their systems more efficient, thereby lowering bills
• Provides financial assistance to American families to make sure their power isn’t shut off
• Cracks down on price gouging by energy companies
• Ensures that facilities like data centers are paying for their own energy costs, instead of pushing expenses onto consumers in the area
• Gives a voice to the American people so they can benefit from energy projects in their community