The Daily Mine — Monday, March 30, 2026

REPUBLICAN AI PUSH HITS INTERNAL GOP RESISTANCE OVER DATA CENTERS
Washington Examiner
House Republicans are fracturing over the Trump administration's AI expansion agenda as constituents in their own districts demand protection from rising utility bills, noise, and industrial zoning changes.

FERC CHAIR CALLS FOR PIPELINE EXPANSION AS HORMUZ CRISIS BITES
National Today / Argus Media
The agency's chair cited Strait of Hormuz shipping disruptions as grounds to fast-track US natural gas pipeline approvals, drawing a direct line from Middle East conflict to domestic energy permits.

OIL TOPS $116 AS HOUTHIS OPEN SECOND CHOKEPOINT FRONT
Axios
Houthi strikes on Israel over the weekend pushed Brent crude above $116/barrel and raised fears of a dual chokepoint crisis — Hormuz already closed, now Bab al-Mandeb threatened — with direct consequences for US gas prices and energy policy.

STARCLOUD HITS $1.1B AS AI SPACE DATA CENTER RACE HEATS UP
Reuters
Starcloud raised $170M at a $1.1B valuation to build solar-powered orbital data centers, becoming Y Combinator's fastest-ever unicorn and filing plans for an 88,000-satellite constellation.

PRIVATE CLIMATE MODELS NOW DRIVING US GRID PLANNING
RTO Insider
As publicly available federal climate data shrinks under budget cuts, grid operators are quietly shifting to proprietary forecasting services to plan capacity and reliability through the 2030s.

WISCONSIN GRID FIGHT: BLACKSTONE LOSES TRANSMISSION JOB TO ATC
Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
MISO pulled a key transmission upgrade from a Blackstone-backed developer and awarded it to the American Transmission Company, the latest skirmish in a multibillion-dollar fight over who profits from data center grid buildout.

MICHIGAN ICE STORM REOPENS UNDERGROUND POWER LINE DEBATE
Interlochen Public Radio
A severe northern Michigan ice storm that knocked out power for days has utilities and regulators revisiting the cost and feasibility of burying distribution lines to harden the grid against extreme weather.

DOE TRANSMISSION CORRIDOR PLAN ALARMS RURAL COLORADO AND NEW MEXICO
Denver Gazette
Federal National Interest Electric Transmission Corridor designations are raising fears of eminent domain for transmission rights-of-way in rural communities across the Southwest that are already skeptical of the energy buildout.

PORTABLE DATA CENTERS DEPLOYED AT RENEWABLE SITES TO DODGE GRID QUEUE
PV Magazine
Developers are placing modular data centers directly at curtailed wind and solar sites in Australia and the US, bypassing interconnection queues entirely and turning stranded renewable energy into AI compute revenue.

NEXTERA GETS FEDERAL OK TO BUILD 10 GW OF GAS FOR DATA CENTERS
Utility Dive
NextEra Energy received DOE approval to construct up to 10 gigawatts of new natural gas generation in Texas and Pennsylvania specifically to power hyperscale data center demand through the end of the decade.

MINNESOTA LAW TESTED AS DATA CENTERS THREATEN ELECTRIC BILLS
St. Cloud Times
Minnesota passed the nation's strongest data center ratepayer protection law in 2025, but with hyperscale projects now arriving, regulators and advocates are finding out how well it actually works under real load pressure.

GOOGLE BUYS 1,700 ACRES IN WEST VIRGINIA, LOCALS SPLIT
WV Metro News
Governor Morrisey announced Google purchased land near Buffalo in Putnam County for a major data center, drawing support from state lawmakers and immediate concern from property owners over noise, air, and water impacts.

GEORGIA ENVIRO GROUPS SUE OVER GEORGIA POWER DATA CENTER EXPANSION
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Environmental and faith groups filed suit against the Georgia Public Service Commission, alleging it illegally approved Georgia Power's plan to add nearly 10 gigawatts of new generation without adequately demonstrating need.

COLORADO LABOR UNIONS AND ENVIRONMENTALISTS SPLIT OVER DATA CENTER BILL
Rocky Mountain PBS
A Colorado bill to rein in data center energy use has opened a rare rift between the state's environmental groups and labor unions, with workers fearing the regulations will kill construction jobs before they start.

NC RESIDENTS SUE OVER 2,000-ACRE DATA CENTER ON HISTORIC BLACK FARMLAND
NC Health News
Residents and the Southern Environmental Law Center filed suit over Stokes County's rezoning of nearly 2,000 acres along the Dan River for Project Delta, citing environmental justice and cultural heritage concerns.