AIBRIEF
Rep. Julie Fedorchak wants Washington to force data centers to pay for the grid upgrades they trigger, but says the permit pen should stay with county commissions, not Bismarck or D.C.
A North Dakota lawmaker is making a two-track case on data centers: Washington should make the facilities pay the full cost of the grid upgrades they trigger, but the local county commission, not Bismarck (North Dakota's capital) and not D.C., should hold the permit pen.
Rep. Julie Fedorchak, a Republican, pointed to a proposed data center in Mandan as where the local-control question is now live, according to local reporting. She argues operators must disclose noise, road, and energy impacts to local leaders before any deal is signed.
Her federal vehicle is the bipartisan Ratepayer Protection Act, H.R. 9340, a bill she says would amend the 1978 Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act so utilities recover the full incremental cost of grid upgrades serving large-load customers like data centers from those customers, plus up-front financial assurances. The bill text is on GovTrack.
H.R. 9340, introduced June 18, 2026 by Reps. Evans (D-CO) and Castor (D-FL), cleared the House Energy and Commerce Committee unanimously, with 52 members voting yes. It has not yet received a full House floor vote, per GovInfo status data. A companion Senate bill (S. 5028) was referred to the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee on July 16, 2026.
The Mandan project is the first test of whether Fedorchak can keep the two tracks clean: a federal cost-allocation rule on one side, a county permit call on the other.