Data Centers
Department of Justice sides with Elon Musk’s xAI in Southaven lawsuit
The lawsuit, filed by the NAACP, claims that xAI is illegally operating gas turbines to power its data centers in Southaven and Memphis.
Microsoft’s clean energy reversal collides with Virginia’s climate goals
Amid a data center boom in the state, the tech giant backpedals on a key climate promise.
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.
On the historic route from Selma to Montgomery, an AI cloud looms
In this rural Alabama community, some residents can’t flush their toilets. Developers want to build a state-of-the-art data center next door.
Meet the women leading the people-powered push against data centers
Through public office, environmental justice and urban planning, they’re demanding a say in what gets built in communities across the country.
Data center moratoriums gain ground in states and cities
Legislators in New York passed a bill imposing a one-year pause on new hyperscale data centers, while residents in one California city voted recently for a complete ban.
Ohio lawmakers introduce sweeping new data center legislation
It’s a significant revision of state policy, touching on tax breaks, nondisclosure agreements, water use and testing, utility billing, and potential impacts on local governments.
Illinois is 'not quite ready' to pass data center regulations despite public pressure
Seven out of 10 Illinois residents supported the POWER Act, but it didn’t pass in the Illinois Legislature this session. Supporters are pretty confident the bill will be brought back up later this year.
Some Kentucky counties and cities are hitting pause on data centers
With a lack of state action, local governments consider data center regulation.
GOP bill would make Pa. law from Trump administration accords on data centers
Rep. Craig Williams said accords with PJM governors and tech companies are answer to controlling costs.
Featured eBooks
Texas county rescinds its data center moratorium after $100 million lawsuit from developer
Hill County, which appears to be the first Texas county to pass a moratorium, replaced it Thursday with a checklist of requirements for developers.
What’s in the water? What we know and don’t know about data center water discharge in Virginia
Most data centers in Virginia are permitted to discharge water into municipal wastewater systems, the same place household water goes to be treated and recycled for consumption. But there’s limited data tracking of potential chemicals in data centers’ discharge water.
Gov. Josh Shapiro’s new data center standards reflect new reality
The announcement underscores the year-long evolution in the governor’s approach to what has become an energy and environmental flashpoint in Pennsylvania.
As Illinois lawmakers debate POWER Act, concerns about data centers spill into rural communities
On the heels of Sangamon County approving a $500 million data center in central Illinois, residents throughout the region express concern over facilities’ impact on energy, water, and the environment.
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.
Water, electricity remain major data center concerns, survey says
Zencity found that the more familiar someone is with AI, the more inclined they are to support data centers. But residents’ trust that local governments will be open about the centers’ impacts is slipping.
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.”
Texas county pauses data center construction in rural areas for a year
Hill County commissioners’ split vote to issue a moratorium appears to be a first in Texas.
