Infrastructure
San Marcos becomes the first Texas city to ban data centers, testing its local control
As Texas counties have faced hurdles to curb the rapid growth of data center developments, cities could have more success with banning them through their zoning laws, land experts say.
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After a civil rights complaint, Chicago built the nation’s largest air monitoring network
As extreme heat reshapes air quality, the network of 227 monitors is expected to help identify localized pollution hot spots.
Michigan lawmakers, local officials and residents renew push for statewide data center moratorium
Members of the Michigan House and Senate have put forth proposals to establish a moratorium on data center development, pausing further development to give lawmakers and local officials time to review potential impacts and implement regulations.
Las Vegas data center expansion approved as officials ponder need for future regulations
Municipalities in Nevada continue to grapple with where and how data centers should be built.
Local Tennessee officials are putting data center plans on ice to consider regulations
Two rural areas paused development for at least a year; Nashville also contemplates moratorium amid public pushback.
Federal broadband policy is increasingly being recast around satellite
With few meaningful competitors, SpaceX's Starlink is the primary beneficiary.
Local Maine officials look to pause data center development after state moratorium veto
After a statewide moratorium on data centers failed to make it across the finish line at the Maine Legislature, local officials are pursuing their own bans.
Local Texas leaders believe data center plans may be behind delays to emergency water supply
Across Texas, a booming buildout of server farms is adding strain to water resources that are already stretched to their limit.
Utah’s fragile desert could feel like the Sahara if America’s biggest data center gets built
The Great Salt Lake is drying up. What happens when a data center as large as a city sits next to it?
Utah protesters want more sunlight on data center plan and its effects on water and air
Utah protesters demanded independent reviews of the planned Stratos project in Box Elder County and a “genuine public comment period.”
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Driverless cars get green light from NJ Senate panel
The bill would create a three-year pilot program for New Jersey to test driverless cars to ensure road safety before widespread public use.
Data center dilemma: Who should decide where they go in North Dakota?
There is no formal environmental review or centralized body in charge of overseeing data center developers.
In rural Wisconsin, a town pushes aside a plan to build a massive data center
Residents and town leaders have been in the dark about who would build a $1B center or where it would go. They used zoning to block the plan.
Local governments race to attract data centers, often in spite of concerns from their constituents
Communities are sounding the alarm on an industry that stands to have a far greater impact beyond the walls of its warehouses.
Report: Digital classroom tools could improve teacher retention, student outcomes
Burnout and career departures among the nation’s teacher workforce can have significant effects on the outcomes of their students.
Election officials left in limbo as state leaders contemplate next steps for ballot QR codes
State officials are unsure how to legally conduct elections in Georgia without QR codes. Elections workers are being left in limbo.
Missouri AI regulations stall as lawmakers fear loss of rural broadband funds
A Senate bill establishing liability guidelines for artificial intelligence harm has hit resistance from lawmakers who are worried it could provoke retaliation from the Trump administration.
Data centers are straining the grid. Can they be forced to pay for it?
As backlash grows, a nationwide search is underway for solutions to the AI energy crunch.
Data center restrictions signed into South Dakota law after push for incentives failed
After lawmakers rejected incentives for large data centers, Gov. Larry Rhoden signed a bill that puts new limits on them.
North Carolina invests $26M to expand high-speed internet into additional rural areas by 2026
The additional funding targets 5,161 homes, businesses and community anchor institutions in 66 counties across rural portions of the state.
