The legislation faces opposition from progressives and environmental groups, with Representative Ro Khanna saying he will vote against the bill as written and Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, one of the deal’s four lead negotiators, warning that attacks on wind energy projects threaten the agreement. The Natural Resources Defense Council called some provisions “deeply flawed” and is demanding “significant improvements” before a floor vote, while smaller environmental groups urged Democratic leaders to reject what they called a “golden ticket for huge AI data centers and tech billionaires” and Center for Biological Diversity’s Brett Hartl told 89 participants on a private call that the goal is “to stop this bill, not to make it better.”

Negotiated by Whitehouse, Martin Heinrich, Shelley Moore Capito and Mike Lee, the bill sets a 150-day window for National Environmental Policy Act lawsuits, expands federal transmission authority and requires data centers with loads of 20 MW or more to fund incremental generation and grid costs. More than 100 national and state business groups led by the National Association of Manufacturers are urging Senate leaders to pass the legislation after the midterm elections.