MarketWatch reporting highlights how AI infrastructure strains local grids, yet primary documents from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) Annual Energy Outlook 2023 project data center electricity demand rising 50-100% by 2030 without quantifying household passthroughs. A Department of Energy analysis on hyperscale facilities notes concentrated load growth in states like Virginia and Texas, where utilities file rate cases citing new transmission needs. Perspectives differ: industry filings with FERC emphasize job creation and tax revenue offsetting infrastructure, while public utility commission dockets in Georgia and Ohio record consumer intervenors citing regressive effects on fixed-income households via volumetric rates. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory studies on data center efficiency show cooling and compute loads driving peak demand, patterns also observed in prior semiconductor expansions. Coverage often omits how PURPA and state renewable mandates interact with these loads, leaving open questions on whether federal permitting reforms will alter cost allocation. Multiple ratepayer analyses indicate incremental bills of $10-30 monthly in affected regions, though exact attribution remains contested across utility models.