Good morning. Only a third of Americans like the pace of the AI data center buildout, Congress is writing bills about it, and the projects keep landing in swing districts. The politics are catching up to the power math.
Top Stories
AMERICANS SOUR ON AI DATA-CENTER BOOM
Reuters
A new Reuters/Ipsos poll found only about one-third of Americans approve of the pace of AI data-center construction, with most opposing one in their own community.
CONGRESS JUMPS INTO THE DATA-CENTER BACKLASH
Axios
Lawmakers are moving from local complaints to federal bills as data centers become a political fight over power bills, water, farmland and tech-industry influence.
DATA CENTERS MOVE INTO BATTLEGROUND HOUSE RACES
E&E News
A POLITICO analysis found planned or under-construction data centers in most of the country's competitive House districts, turning AI infrastructure into a midterm wildcard.
KKR, NVIDIA AND VISTRA LAUNCH $10B AI INFRASTRUCTURE COMPANY
The Wall Street Journal
The new Helix Digital Infrastructure platform ties private capital, chips and power supply together as investors try to build around grid and data-center bottlenecks.
VIRGINIA MAKES DATA CENTERS POST $1.5M PER MEGAWATT
Forbes
Dominion Energy Virginia's large-load tariff prices stranded-cost risk upfront, forcing hyperscale customers to put real collateral behind their power requests.
Power & Grid
TRUMP RENEWABLES FIGHT POISONS PERMITTING TALKS
E&E News
Senate Democrats say the administration's attacks on renewable approvals are making it harder to rebuild trust for a broader federal permitting deal.
CHRIS WRIGHT TAKES HEAT OVER ENERGY PRICES
E&E News
The Energy secretary clashed with House lawmakers over gasoline prices, electricity costs and the administration's intervention in renewable permitting.
FERC CLEARS PJM FAST TRACK FOR SHOVEL-READY POWER
Utility Dive
PJM can review up to 10 large generation projects a year on an expedited path if they are at least 250 MW and can come online within three years.
META ADDS MORE SOLAR FOR DATA-CENTER POWER
ESG Dive
Meta signed another U.S. solar power purchase agreement with Zelestra, adding to the renewable procurement behind its expanding AI and data-center footprint.
TESLA COFOUNDER WARNS THE U.S. GRID IS FALLING BEHIND
Fortune
Redwood Materials CEO JB Straubel said China is adding generation far faster than the U.S., making the grid the binding constraint on American AI ambitions.
Data Centers
TEXAS GOVERNOR WANTS DATA-CENTER COST CLAMPDOWN
Business Insider
Gov. Greg Abbott proposed new data-center rules aimed at making developers cover their own grid costs, use water-efficient technology and give up major tax breaks.
OHIO DATA-CENTER REGULATION PLAN COLLAPSES
The Columbus Dispatch
State senators floated a data-center bill, then watched it fall apart amid fights over how far Ohio should go in regulating the industry and its tax breaks.
TEXAS COMMUNITIES TELL BIG TECH TO SLOW DOWN
The Dallas Morning News
Local fights over data centers are spreading across Texas as residents question power use, water demand and whether communities have enough control over the buildout.
EPA WON'T WRITE NATIONAL DATA-CENTER STANDARDS
E&E News
Administrator Lee Zeldin said the agency will not set nationwide environmental rules for data centers, leaving air, water and siting fights to states and communities.
FERC AND LAWMAKERS GRAPPLE WITH WHO PAYS FOR AI LOAD
E&E News
Speakers at POLITICO's Energy Summit pressed for more government action to keep utility customers from absorbing the cost of data-center-driven grid expansion.
Stat of the Day
40 of 69
Competitive House districts with data centers planned or under construction
The data-center backlash is no longer just a zoning-board story. It is moving into the congressional map.
E&E News report ↗