1. United States
2. Pa.
3. Letter

Require grid operators to prioritize residential and critical-facility customers by curtailing large data center loads first during power shortages. Data centers can consume as much electricity as a small city, and when supply runs short, that power should go to homes, hospitals, and schools before it goes to server farms. Grid operators already have demand-response tools. The missing piece is a clear mandate to use them against the largest, most flexible commercial loads before touching households. Data centers can shed non-critical workloads, shift processing to other regions, or draw on backup generation. A family losing power in a heat wave has none of those options. Pass a policy that establishes data centers as first-in-line for curtailment during declared grid emergencies. The growth of AI infrastructure means this pressure on the grid will only increase. Getting the priority order right now protects constituents before the next shortage hits.