Victory for Oregonians: We Passed the POWER Act!

Posted on June 5, 2025 by Cassie Allen
Tags, Energy, General Interest

CUB is excited to share a major victory for Oregonians– the POWER Act (HB 3546) has officially passed the Oregon House and Senate, and is now heading to Governor Tina Kotek’s desk to be signed into law!

We’ve taken a huge step towards holding data centers accountable for their own energy needs and shown that when Oregonians come together, we win. Thanks to the dedication and advocacy of community members like you, Oregonians will no longer be subsidizing data centers’ electricity bills.

HUGE thank you to everyone who advocated for holding data centers accountable!

POWER Act Heads to the Governor’s Desk

Today, the Oregon Legislature adopted the Protecting Oregonians With Energy Responsibility (POWER) Act (HB 3546) with bipartisan support, sending it to Governor Kotek’s desk to be signed into law. The legislation addresses one of Oregon’s most pressing energy challenges: rising utility costs driven in part by the explosive growth of energy-intensive data centers and cryptocurrency.

HB 3546 directs regulators to hold large energy users accountable for paying for their own energy costs. By creating a new customer category for data centers and cryptocurrency within Oregon’s for-profit electric utilities, utilities can track the energy costs of those businesses and bill them appropriately. This protects Oregonians and small businesses from paying for the initial costs of bringing data centers online and the ongoing costs for providing service.

What We Won For Oregon

The POWER Act delivers real, tangible cost savings to Oregon families and communities:

Protections for Oregonians’ Energy Bills: Oregonians will no longer be subsidizing data centers on their electric bills. Data centers will now pay for the utility costs they create.
Accountable Data Centers: Utility costs caused by data centers will be tracked and billed directly to data centers, not passed on to consumers.
A Stronger Energy Grid for Everyone: Utilities can plan for how they can reliably provide electricity to everyone, including data centers, improving the energy grid for everyone.

Your Advocacy Made This Win Possible

This victory wouldn’t have been possible without you! Over 800 community members showed up for the POWER Act by contacting their legislators, submitting written comments, and testifying in support of energy affordability and consumer protections.

Your voice helped us beat Big Tech and win big for Oregon’s energy future.

Our Legislators Stepped Up

Our legislators and community leaders boldly advocated for holding data centers accountable. The POWER Act received broad support from legislators on both sides of the aisle. Hear what Oregon’s legislators had to say about HB 3546:

“The POWER Act focuses on a subset of energy users that have a massive impact on the electrical grid. A 30 megawatt data center will use as much electricity as the City of Ashland and can be constructed in less than two years—and the number of data centers requesting service is unparalleled. That demand is unique and requires a distinct solution.” - State Representative Pam Marsh

“This measure not only shields households and small businesses from disproportionate costs, but it creates a system where large energy users are held accountable for the infrastructure required to meet their needs, rather than passing on costs to the general public.” - State Senator Janeen Sollman

Join us in thanking the legislators who stood with Oregon families to make this victory possible. This legislation represents a historic win for PGE, Pacific Power, and Idaho Power customers, showing what’s possible when communities come together.

Thank Your Legislator

Keeping Up the Momentum

Let’s take a moment to celebrate this landmark victory, and keep up the pressure to pass CUB’s other priority bills! The POWER Act is one part of a suite of energy affordability legislation that will move Oregon towards creating an affordable and resilient energy future.

Thank you for using your voice and showing up for your fellow Oregonians. Together, we won big for energy affordability and consumer protection.

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