Contact:
Laura Strimple, (402) 580-9495
Gov. Pillen Joins White House Roundtable to Highlight Ratepayer Protections and Energy Safeguards
Washington, D.C. – Today, Governor Jim Pillen joined governors from across the country to highlight the Ratepayer Protection Pledge that was signed in March of this year, another action taken to ensure the protection of Nebraska’s natural resources and safeguard local ratepayers.
The pledge will help combat the rising electricity costs driven by data center expansion. Under this framework, major hyperscale technology companies pledge to follow a “build, bring, or buy” model that obligates developers to cover 100 percent of the energy generation, transmission, and infrastructure expenses required to power the facilities. The effort establishes clear standards ensuring tech firms pay their full share for utility usage and fund all necessary power grid enhancements without passing costs onto everyday consumers.
Following the announcement from President Donald J.Trump regarding participating states, Gov. Pillen joined fellow governors at a roundtable to discuss the pledge’s impacts on their respective states. At the roundtable, Gov. Pillen highlighted the state's exceptional electrical rates, Offutt Air Force Base – the home of the strategic nuclear deterrence of our nation – and the Ogallala Aquifer, the country’s largest and most sustainable aquifer.
“It’s important for Americans to understand we have massive amounts of electricity, so we have to produce to protect our ratepayers,” said Gov. Pillen. “We have been able to work and get behind-the-meter legislation in place so private dollars will come and build electricity, and we are going to protect public power in Nebraska because it’s really critical for our state to grow, and we are protecting our ratepayers.”
The pledge reinforces policies that are already in place to protect local public power customers. Under legislation LB 1261 – Nebraska established ‘behind the meter’ rules that shifted 100% of the financial burden for constructing new energy generation to the large corporation, making the industrial customer pay for all the costs, grid upgrade fees, and congestion charges resulting from their project. By implementing this bill, the state shields residential households and small businesses from subsidizing massive utility expansions.
To enforce these protections, Nebraska also enacted LB 1010 during the legislative session, titled The Large Load Customer Regulation Act. This law empowers public power entities to structure specific rates for large loads and requires these industrial customers to fund their own infrastructure upgrades.
Complementing LB 1261, Gov. Pillen recently signed an Executive Order establishing a dedicated Data Center Task Force through the Department of Water, Energy, and Environment (DWEE). The task force works collaboratively alongside the Department of Economic Development and the Department of Revenue to evaluate major project proposals. It focuses on protecting Nebraska’s critical water supply, partnering with local Natural Resources Districts (NRDs), and providing local communities and county officials with the necessary tools for zoning and resource planning to ensure projects deliver a genuine public benefit.
By signing onto the Ratepayer Protection Pledge, it reaffirms Gov. Pillen’s commitment to protecting public power ratepayers and safeguarding Nebraska’s essential resources.
Gov. Pillen attends roundtable with President Donald J. Trump and state leaders in Washington, D.C.
Gov. Pillen alongside Georgia Governor Brian Kemp and U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright
Roundtable event that was held in Washington, D.C. with leaders from across the country
Gov. Pillen with Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry, Idaho Governor Brad Little, and Georgia Governor Brian Kemp
