Data Centers
Pennsylvania House committee advances data center bills
Two data center bills were reported out of the House Energy Committee along party lines.
It’s lights out for Washington legislature’s effort to regulate data centers
The bill died Monday amid a barrage of industry opposition. Supporters said it was a crucial step toward protecting the grid and utility ratepayers from the energy-hungry facilities.
Localities bemoan apparent ‘race to the bottom’ on data centers
Attendees at the National Association of Counties said tech companies are not being good partners, but research and recent deals suggest a new way of doing business for local governments.
Data center tax breaks are on the chopping block in some states
Rising energy costs and environmental concerns drive states to reconsider incentives.
As data centers look to rural New England, Maine considers a moratorium
The bill’s advocates want answers about how data centers will affect energy costs in the region, which already has some of the country’s highest electricity prices.
Data center growth goes full steam ahead across the US
Investments in and construction of data centers are increasing across the U.S., particularly in areas where such facilities have previously lagged.
Researchers warn of AI, data centers’ water impact
Two separate reports warned the technology and the infrastructure needed to power it could exhaust water supplies. But they said policy could help avert the worst disasters.
Pennsylvania lawmakers show bipartisan interest in standards for data centers
Gov. Josh Shapiro called on lawmakers to enact standards for data center developers.
Virginia built the digital capital of the world. Can governance keep pace?
COMMENTARY | How decades of rational decisions built a global data-center hub — and exposed the limits of public planning.
With electricity bills rising, some states consider new data center laws
Leaders in at least a dozen states have targeted data centers with separate, higher electric rates.
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In the West Texas oil patch, companies plan gas power plants to run new data centers
The developer of one project, in Pecos County, calls it the largest power project in the U.S. Data centers are sparking a surge of gas power plant construction in Texas.
Amid the AI-driven boom in energy demand, rural Texans fight a high-voltage transmission line
Texas’s most powerful transmission line threatens pristine river basins and family ranches. Locals and conservationists are fighting to reroute it.
Rural Wisconsin has become a hotspot for data centers. State’s unique tax instrument explains why
Concerns over transparency, tax policy, and data centers’ utility usage drive many rural residents to oppose planned developments.
Bill to provide tax breaks for data centers reintroduced by Colorado lawmakers
The bill would offer a 100% sales and use tax exemption for qualified data centers for at least 20 years.
Outrage over surge of data centers in Georgia inspires wave of bipartisan bills
Proposals call for transparency, elimination of tax perk and more.
Counties wrestle with data centers’ power consumption
A recent survey from the National Association of Counties found that more than half of leaders spend time discussing data centers and other energy-intensive facilities.
Wyoming County approves construction of what could become the largest data center in US
The project could eventually use the same amount of electricity as produced by 10 nuclear power plants, boosting Wyoming’s energy industry while challenging efforts to limit emissions and stressing water supplies.
New Jersey lawmakers OK plan to charge data centers for spiking electric costs
Data centers, which are driving higher electric costs in New Jersey, would face new tariffs under a plan legislators advanced Thursday.
The data center rush in Appalachia
Big tech eyes coal country as AI demand soars, but rural communities push back.
Data center ‘gold rush’ pits local officials’ hunt for new revenue against residents’ concerns
Without state regulations to guide them, Georgia counties are taking vastly different approaches to managing the surge in data center proposals.
