A bipartisan group of lawmakers from multiple states and the District of Columbia has submitted a proposal to PJM Interconnection, the region’s electric grid operator, aimed at curbing rising energy bills amid a surge in data center demand.

“We’re talking about 32 gigawatts at least — it could be up to 60 gigawatts — of new demand,” Maryland state Sen. Katie Fry Hester said in a news conference Monday. “That’s the equivalent of adding a major city like Philadelphia to the grid almost overnight.”

According to Hester, monthly energy costs could rise by about $70 per household for the 67 million people living across 13 states and Washington, D.C., if PJM does not make changes. PJM’s board is set to discuss the issue at a meeting Wednesday.

Hester, a Democrat who represents parts of Howard

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