Infrastructure
As demand for AI rises, so do power thirsty data centers
As data centers are developed in new communities across the country, residents and their state legislators see a mix of financial benefits with energy and environmental challenges.
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New Tools Help State and Local Governments Battle Ransomware, Other Big Disasters
When governments find themselves being ransomed, their choices are typically to pay, which will undercut their ability to deliver key services to their communities due to budget restrictions, or not pay, resulting in the immediate inability to serve their communities and the loss of key data that will inevitably plague them for years afterwards.
Lawmakers fear AI data centers will drive up residents’ power bills
Roughly a dozen proposals in state legislatures nationwide seek to ensure that data centers don’t result in increased rates for other electric customers.
After RIBridges breach, R.I. state agencies share high tech wish lists at budget hearing
Nearly four months after a cyberattack shut down a public benefits system in Rhode Island, it is fully operational again. State officials now face new challenges, including upgrading aging tech and navigating uncertain federal funding.
Internet connectivity funding for Indiana schools is in jeopardy. Here’s why.
A pending Supreme Court ruling and a potential cut to a state grant could hurt schools’ efforts to improve internet connectivity, especially in rural areas.
Legislation creating statewide emergency communication system advances in Texas House
The legislation was written after the state’s largest wildfire scorched more than 1 million acres in the Panhandle last year.
Commerce Secretary’s proposal to prioritize satellite over fiber internet would ‘strand’ rural communities, experts say
Howard Lutnick’s proposal to change BEAD structure will line the pockets of billionaires and leave rural communities behind.
Already lagging broadband program faces more uncertainty under Trump
Three years after the federal Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program began, it’s still in the planning phase.
State and local lawmakers take a renewed look at speed enforcement cameras
In some states, policymakers are concerned that speed cameras are more of a cash grab than a safety protocol.
Texas wants to be a nuclear power
The state is aggressively pushing to deploy the next generation of atomic energy that would power big industrial operations.
Rural New England needs EV chargers to keep tourism revenue flowing. The Trump administration is making it harder to build them.
Compared to surrounding states, New Hampshire’s rural communities lag in charging stations, threatening the tourism sector. Suspending federal funds could make it difficult to accelerate construction.
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As Texas’ energy demand soars, a pilot program looks to bolster grid with “virtual power plants” fueled by people’s homes
Some Texans who install residential batteries, solar panels and smart thermostats can now send power back to the grid and get a credit on their bill.
Trump administration tells states billions in EV charger money is on hold
Washington was in line to receive $71 million for chargers along I-5 and other roads. But the U.S. Department of Transportation says it will revamp the program.
Washington governor orders team to study data centers’ impact on energy use, job creation and tax revenue
Data centers receive some of Washington’s largest corporate tax breaks and require enormous amounts of electricity, a need that is only expected to grow with increasing reliance on artificial intelligence.
Straight to the top: new nonstop elevators to speed subway accessibility coverage
The J/Z’s Woodhaven Boulevard station in Queens is the first stop in the system where elevators bypass an existing turnstile level and deposit riders directly at the platform.
Chinese AI tech could cut projected spike in US electricity
Are we planning too many new power plants to fuel data centers? Advocates call for more protections for consumers — and the climate.
Air taxis? A spaceport? Utah is making moves — and spending millions — for a futuristic vision
Utah leaders are making moves and investing millions of dollars to bring futuristic technology to Utah, including air taxis and spaceports.
Tech startup gets on fast track to install sidewalk EV charging towers after hiring Eric Adams’ power broker
Gravity Technologies is preparing to plant “trees” to juice up city agency vehicles, with help from the lobbying firm founded by the mayor’s former chief of staff, Frank Carone.
Developers plan to build Kentucky’s first ‘hyperscale’ data center in Louisville
The operation could eventually use as much electricity as one of the state’s power plants produces.
Feds offer new data, research to refresh states’ water woes
A new report and data tool from the U.S. Geological Survey can help policymakers better understand where water supply risks exist in the U.S. to inform efforts to better manage the critical resource.
As data center boom continues, Va. legislators broach new regulations
A bipartisan coalition of Virginia lawmakers seeks to balance economic growth with energy fairness and environmental protections.
