APPA Shares Goal of Protecting Ratepayers from Data Center Costs, Urges Additional Action

Contact Tobias Sellier, Senior Director of Media Relations and Communications at MediaRelations@PublicPower.org

Washington D.C., September 16, 2026—The American Public Power Association shares Congress’s goal of protecting electric customers from the costs of serving large data centers. In July, we signed the Rate Payer Protection Pledge on behalf of public power, which aligns with our foundational focus on energy affordability and reliability for public power utility customers. 

APPA urges the Administration and Congress to take two additional steps to protect customers: changing tax regulations to protect customers from the risk of stranded costs by allowing public power utilities to lock large customers into 20-year contracts – instead of the three years currently allowed – and modernizing the tax treatment of municipal bonds to reduce costs and increase flexibility in financing. 

To learn more about what APPA is doing to advance affordability, see APPA’s Public Power Affordability Agenda, Transmission Policy Is Electric Affordability Policy, and Municipal Bonds and Public Power documents.