Robert E. Latta

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman, the chairman of the full Committee on Energy and Commerce, for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 9340, the Ratepayer Protection Act, led by the gentleman from Colorado's Eighth Congressional District.

This legislation passed out of our Energy and Commerce Committee with a 52-0 vote.

Mr. Speaker, the goal here is very simple: Data centers should pay their own way. That is why this legislation is so important. We must ensure that American families and small businesses are protected from electricity price increases caused by large loads like data centers.

The increase in data center development raises important questions about how these facilities will affect local electric grids in nearby communities.

H.R. 9340 encourages States to establish a standard that requires large data centers to cover the full costs necessary to service their loads.

Over the last 5 years, electricity rates have steadily increased across the country.

While data center demand growth is exploding, at the same time, record amounts of baseload generation are prematurely leaving our grids. This is a problem that must be addressed.

H.R. 9340 ensures that States can hold AI companies responsible for their own costs and that hardworking American families aren't on the hook for the bill.

Mr. Speaker, I urge the House to pass the Ratepayer Protection Act.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman, the chairman of the full Committee on Energy and Commerce, for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 9340, the Ratepayer Protection Act, led by the gentleman from Colorado's Eighth Congressional District.

This legislation passed out of our Energy and Commerce Committee with a 52-0 vote.

Mr. Speaker, the goal here is very simple: Data centers should pay their own way. That is why this legislation is so important. We must ensure that American families and small businesses are protected from electricity price increases caused by large loads like data centers.

The increase in data center development raises important questions about how these facilities will affect local electric grids in nearby communities.

H.R. 9340 encourages States to establish a standard that requires large data centers to cover the full costs necessary to service their loads.

Over the last 5 years, electricity rates have steadily increased across the country.

While data center demand growth is exploding, at the same time, record amounts of baseload generation are prematurely leaving our grids. This is a problem that must be addressed.

H.R. 9340 ensures that States can hold AI companies responsible for their own costs and that hardworking American families aren't on the hook for the bill.

Mr. Speaker, I urge the House to pass the Ratepayer Protection Act.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and congratulate SSgt. Calvin ``Cal'' Rettig, who has been named Hancock County Veteran of the Year. This honor recognizes Cal's decades of service to his family, community, and the Nation.

Cal was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1944, where he trained for a frontline unit. He was tasked with detecting the enemy and relaying intelligence back to the artillery. His unit was initially sent to the Philippines to begin night patrols. Following the bombing of Japan, his group occupied Tokyo, where Cal served on security and police patrol as a staff sergeant until his release in 1946.

Cal married his wife, Bernice, on the day he returned home. The two of them had met in 1941 and dated until he left for the war. They were married for sixty-five years. They raised three children, and their family has since grown to include twenty grandchildren and twenty-five great-grandchildren.

After his discharge, Cal built two full careers. From 1948 to 1966, he managed the Farm Bureau lumber yard. After the lumber yard, he spent the next twenty-two years at Whirlpool as a mold setter. He also farmed 340 acres throughout both careers.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating SSgt. Rettig on being named the Hancock County Veteran of the Year. On behalf of the people of the Fifth Congressional District of Ohio, I recognize the devotion and compassion that Cal has for his community, and I thank him for his service to our Nation.