Contact Congress about S. 3682: Power for the People Act of 2026
Large data centers would have to go through a new federal approval process before connecting to the electric grid, and they would pay directly for any grid upgrades they cause. The bill gives faster approval to data centers that use clean energy and agree to cut power use during emergencies. Regular electricity customers would be protected from subsidizing data center growth.
Modern Action explains legislation in plain English, helps you choose whether to support, oppose, or ask for changes, and drafts a message tied to the bill, your stance, and the elected officials who can act on it.
Power for the People Act of 2026 is a Senate bill in committee. The latest recorded action: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
Latest action on S. 3682: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
Who this affects: This bill would directly change how data center companies plan, build, and pay for electricity. It would also affect electric utility customers across the country, state utility regulators, grid operators, and construction workers on data center and energy projects.
Why this matters: Data centers are on track to more than double their electricity use in the next few years, potentially consuming up to 12% of all U.S. energy demand. Without new rules, the costs of building power plants and transmission lines to serve them could land on regular households and businesses through higher electric bills. This bill addresses that by making data centers pay their own way and giving grid operators the tools to protect reliability for everyone else.
Key provisions in S. 3682
- FERC must issue a rule within 180 days of the bill becoming law that creates special connection queues just for data centers, covering all major grid operators and certain utilities.
- Grid operators may delay or block a data center from connecting to the grid if doing so would likely hurt grid reliability, energy supply, or electricity affordability for non-data-center customers.
- Data centers that bring their own dedicated clean or low-carbon power sources large enough to cover their energy use, use cleaner backup generators, and sign load-flexibility agreements would get priority in the queue.
- Load-flexibility agreements must give grid operators the right to cut a data center's power before reducing service to other customers and before emergency conditions arise.
- Construction of data centers and any new energy projects they fund must pay prevailing wages and use registered apprenticeship programs; project labor agreements count as meeting these requirements.
How Modern Action helps you take action on S. 3682
You do not have to start with a blank letter. Modern Action turns the bill, your position, and the relevant congressional context into a message you can edit and send. The goal is to make contacting Congress clear, specific, and useful without forcing you to parse bill text or figure out the right office on your own.
Questions people ask about S. 3682
- What is S. 3682?
- Large data centers would have to go through a new federal approval process before connecting to the electric grid, and they would pay directly for any grid upgrades they cause. The bill gives faster approval to data centers that use clean energy and agree to cut power use during emergencies. Regular electricity customers would be protected from subsidizing data center growth.
- How do I support or oppose S. 3682?
- Choose support, oppose, or ask for changes on Modern Action. The action flow drafts the message for you and keeps the wording tied to this bill.
- Who should I contact about S. 3682?
- Modern Action uses your location to route the action to the congressional offices relevant to the bill and your representation.
- Can Modern Action explain S. 3682 before I act?
- Yes. Modern Action gives you a plain-English summary, current status, and action context before you send anything.
