Trump unveils voluntary pledge to cap electricity costs for AI data centers

Donald Trump, speaking alongside EPA chief Lee Zeldin and Energy Secretary Chris Wright at the agency’s headquarters, said about 200 entities have signed a voluntary Ratepayer Protection Pledge to keep electricity costs from rising due to AI data-center expansion. The pledge, first launched in March with seven tech giants—including Google, Microsoft, Meta, Oracle, xAI, OpenAI and Amazon—now extends to utilities delivering roughly 80% of U.S. power, such as Nextera and Duke Energy, as well as numerous governors.

Trump claimed the agreement has already kept rates “way down” for the majority of American households. The announcement comes as utility prices have risen 4% year-over-year and voters express concern over both cost and environmental impacts of data-center growth. Critics from the Sierra Club and Evergreen Action dismissed the pledge as a symbolic photo-op lacking concrete measures to lower bills. White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers framed the pledge as a step toward community growth and U.S. leadership in the AI race.