“Voted No on North Carolina SB 730, the Ratepayer Protection Act, on second reading”

The North Carolina House passed the House committee substitute to SB 730, the Ratepayer Protection Act, on second reading. As it relates to data centers of 100 MW or greater peak monthly demand, the bill requires electricity service contracts whose term is sufficient to recover all of the utility's incremental costs, with minimum billing, credit and termination provisions protecting against shifting costs to other ratepayers (new G.S. 62-142.1); bars local government incentives and adds local siting requirements including a sound study for buildings within 500 feet (new G.S. 160D-974); and directs the Department of Environmental Quality to adopt water-use standards that may require closed-loop or reclaimed water systems and that must not permit evaporative cooling (new G.S. 143-355.5A). CAVEAT ON POLARITY: the same bill amends G.S. 62-110.9(4) to bar the Commission from authorizing retirement of baseload or dispatchable generating facilities above 100 MW until a certificate of public convenience and necessity has been issued for a nuclear facility of at least 1,000 MW. Because this is a single roll call on a bill carrying both sets of provisions, the 44 No votes are recorded with an unclear stance rather than as opposition to data center cost accountability, and should not be read as anti-accountability votes. The cited source does not record any member's stated reason for voting. Outcome: Passed second reading 69-44 on June 3, 2026 (7 excused absences) and passed third reading the same day without a further recorded vote. The bill returned to the Senate, which referred it to Rules and Operations on June 8, 2026. Recorded vote: No. Body: North Carolina House of Representatives. Measure: NC-2026-SB730.