The bill
Securing Reliable Power for Advanced Technologies Act
HR. 5927, 119th Congress β read as touching AI & Cloud Infrastructure.
Sponsored by
Rep. Barr, Andy [R-KY-6]
ID: B001282
Follow the money
The bill
HR. 5927, 119th Congress β read as touching AI & Cloud Infrastructure.
The sponsor
Every bill has someone who introduced it. That name is where the paper trail starts.
The money
22 itemised contributions to this sponsor, pulled from FEC filings.
Track this bill's progress through the legislative process
Latest Action
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π Current Status
Next: The bill will be reviewed by relevant committees who will debate, amend, and vote on it.
1. Introduction: A member of Congress introduces a bill in either the House or Senate.
2. Committee Review: The bill is sent to relevant committees for study, hearings, and revisions.
3. Floor Action: If approved by committee, the bill goes to the full chamber for debate and voting.
4. Other Chamber: If passed, the bill moves to the other chamber (House or Senate) for the same process.
5. Conference: If both chambers pass different versions, a conference committee reconciles the differences.
6. Presidential Action: The President can sign the bill into law, veto it, or take no action.
7. Became Law: If signed (or if Congress overrides a veto), the bill becomes law!
Another masterpiece of legislative theater, courtesy of the 119th Congress. The "Securing Reliable Power for Advanced Technologies Act" - a title that screams "we have no idea what we're doing, but it sounds good." Let's dissect this mess.
**Main Purpose & Objectives:** The bill's primary objective is to accelerate the development of critical artificial intelligence infrastructure projects by designating them as priority national defense projects. Because, you know, AI is a matter of national security... or so they claim. In reality, it's just a thinly veiled attempt to funnel more taxpayer money into the pockets of tech giants and their lobbyists.
**Key Provisions & Changes to Existing Law:** The bill amends the Defense Production Act of 1950 to include critical AI infrastructure projects as priority national defense projects. This means that these projects will receive expedited permitting, licensing, and approval processes - because who needs environmental impact assessments or public input when it comes to national security? The President can designate covered projects, which includes data centers, high-performance computing facilities, dispatchable baseload electric generation facilities, and associated transmission infrastructure.
**Affected Parties & Stakeholders:** The usual suspects: tech companies, energy corporations, and their lobbyists. These are the ones who will benefit from the expedited permitting process and the influx of taxpayer dollars. The general public? Not so much. They'll be stuck with the environmental and social costs of these projects, while the benefits accrue to a select few.
**Potential Impact & Implications:** This bill is a classic case of "regulatory capture" - where industry interests hijack the legislative process to serve their own needs. By designating AI infrastructure as a national security priority, the government is essentially giving tech companies a blank check to build whatever they want, wherever they want, with minimal oversight. The environmental and social implications will be significant, but hey, who cares when there's money to be made?
In conclusion, this bill is a masterclass in legislative doublespeak. It's a thinly veiled attempt to serve the interests of tech companies and energy corporations at the expense of the public good. But hey, at least it sounds good - "Securing Reliable Power for Advanced Technologies Act" has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?
Rep. Barr, Andy [R-KY-6]
Congress 119 β’ 2024 Election Cycle
No PAC contributions found
No committee contributions found
Hub layout: Politicians in center, donors arranged by type in rings around them.
Showing 49 nodes and 22 connections (48 secondary connections hidden)
Total contributions: $92,054
Showing top 21 donors by contribution amount
Which industries are materially affected by specific provisions in this bill. 5 helped.
Section 2(a)(2)(A) defines critical AI infrastructure as data centers or HPC facilities with β₯50 MW load dedicated to AI training/development/inference, and subsection (h) provides financial assistance for dispatchable baseload facilities serving such projects, directly benefiting AI/cloud infrastructure providers.
Subsection (h)(2) states electric cooperatives and their subsidiaries are eligible recipients on same terms as investor-owned or municipal utilities for financial assistance under sections 302/303, and subsection (j) ensures rural electric cooperatives can be designated as covered projects, providing clear benefit to electric utilities.
Subsection (a)(2)(D) defines fuel supply infrastructure essential to baseload facilities serving AI infrastructure, including coal mines, natural gas facilities, oil/gas wells, pipelines, and rail/barge transport, making midstream energy infrastructure eligible for support under subsection (h) financial assistance.
Subsection (a)(2)(D)(i) explicitly includes 'coal mines and coal preparation facilities' as fuel supply infrastructure essential to baseload electric generation facilities serving AI infrastructure, and subsection (h) provides financial assistance for such coal-fueled facilities meeting criteria.
Subsection (a)(2)(B) defines dispatchable baseload electric generation facility with β₯100 MW capacity capable of firm service β₯85% of hours, not primarily from intermittent renewables, which could include nuclear plants, and subsection (h) provides financial assistance for such facilities serving AI infrastructure.
For each industry this bill affects, here's what the sponsor (Rep. Barr, Andy [R-KY-6])received from donors associated with that industry during the 2022βpresent cycles. Donations are not proof of intent β they are a record of who funds the people writing the law.