HB 911: Electricity, New Large Loads (2026)

Summary: House Bill 911 establishes rules for approving and serving “new large loads” of electricity, defined as any increase of 50 MW or more at a service entrance. The bill requires utilities to submit service contracts for commission approval, including a “no harm test” to ensure existing customers are not adversely affected, and sets requirements for cost allocation, financial security, and dispute resolution. The law aims to protect ratepayers while allowing large electricity consumers, like data centers, to connect to the grid.

ICL’s Position: Neutral

Current Bill Status: House Resources & Conservation

Issue Areas: Data Centers, Energy

Bill Sponsors: Representative Mickelsen and Representative Veile

This bill primarily addresses utility contracting, cost allocation, and ratepayer protections for very large new electricity loads, such as data centers, and does not directly affect public lands, water quality, or other environmental priorities that are central to ICL’s mission. While the legislation includes safeguards—such as the “no harm test,” financial security requirements, and commission oversight—to prevent new large loads from shifting costs onto existing ratepayers, the technical and regulatory nature of the bill is outside ICL’s core areas of environmental advocacy. HB 911 also does not mandate or incentivize the type of energy used, the siting of facilities, or any broader environmental review, which means it neither advances nor undermines ICL’s conservation objectives. By remaining neutral, ICL acknowledges the importance of ratepayer protections while focusing its advocacy on legislation with direct environmental impacts, rather than utility contracting rules for high-demand customers.