Good morning. The AI power race is digging a deeper hole. America's gas pipeline has swollen to 378 GW, New Mexico's highest court has stopped a flagship campus in its tracks, and Washington may let data-center pollution permits move behind closed doors.
Top Stories
AMERICA'S AI GAS BUILDOUT JUST BLEW PAST CHINA
The Guardian
U.S. gas capacity in development jumped 50% since January to 378 GW, a third of the global total. Projects already under construction rose 76% in six months, putting the United States at twice China's build rate and nearly three times its pipeline once announced projects are counted.
NEW MEXICO'S HIGH COURT STOPS PROJECT JUPITER ON TWO FRONTS
Las Cruces Sun-News
The state Supreme Court halted both air-permit hearings and water-well drilling for the massive campus. The twin orders freeze the permitting machinery itself, turning local objections over power, water and process into a statewide legal test.
DUKE'S DATA-CENTER RATE LEAVES A BILLION-DOLLAR QUESTION
WUSF
Florida law says existing customers cannot subsidize large loads, but Duke's dedicated tariff will not take effect until 2028. Consumer advocates say a single 1-GW campus could cost billions to serve before then, while Duke says shareholders would absorb any gap through 2027.
CLEAN ENERGY DISCOVERS THE POLITICAL HIT LIST
Rolling Stone
A solar-backed PAC spent about $2 million helping defeat Trump-endorsed Rep. Andy Ogles after earlier wins against Chip Roy and Ralph Norman. Renewable-energy lobbying has roughly quadrupled since 2020 as the industry learns that protecting tax credits can be cheaper than losing them.
INTERIOR ORDERS A FASTER PATH THROUGH HISTORIC REVIEWS
E&E News / POLITICO
Doug Burgum directed agencies to process preservation reviews faster, identify activities that can be exempted and use alternative arrangements when projects stall. The immediate order accelerates energy development on federal land while a broader rewrite of the rules takes shape.
Power & Grid
THE GRID NEEDS 500,000 MORE WORKERS BY 2030
Fortune
Goldman Sachs projects the U.S. power and grid value chain will need half a million additional workers as AI demand accelerates construction. Without a much larger retraining push, the labor shortage becomes a physical ceiling on new generation, transmission and data centers.
PACIFIC FUSION BREAKS GROUND IN ALBUQUERQUE
KOAT
The startup has begun work on its Mesa del Sol facility, moving a billion-dollar fusion bet from announcement to construction. Albuquerque is becoming the hardware base for a technology that still has to prove it can turn laboratory physics into dependable commercial power.
WE ENERGIES ASKS FOR 14%. CUSTOMERS ASK REGULATORS TO SAY NO.
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Environmental and consumer groups are urging Wisconsin regulators to reject the proposed residential increase. The case tests how utilities divide the bill for new solar, batteries, gas plants and a rapidly changing demand forecast.
TESLA QUIETLY PULLS THE PLUG ON SOLAR ROOF
Reuters
Tesla stopped selling its premium solar tiles online nearly a decade after Elon Musk unveiled them as a sleeker alternative to panels. The retreat closes one of the company's most visible energy-product experiments while conventional rooftop solar keeps winning on cost and simplicity.
FAKE COMMENTS KEEP WINNING REAL ENERGY FIGHTS IN OHIO
Canary Media
Regulators denied a 94-MW solar project after citing opposition even though dozens of comments appeared fabricated. Similar tactics have surfaced in fights over fracking, pipelines and net metering, but Ohio has yet to bring civil or criminal charges.
Data Centers
EPA MOVES DATA-CENTER POLLUTION PERMITS BEHIND CLOSED DOORS
The Guardian
A proposed rule would make public notice optional for many state-issued minor-source permits covering diesel generators and gas turbines. Developers already split equipment into smaller applications, and the change could erase one of the few records communities use to challenge cumulative emissions.
56% OPPOSE A DATA CENTER NEARBY. JUST 15% SUPPORT ONE.
Yale Program on Climate Change Communication
Opposition crosses climate factions, including 57% of Americans Yale classifies as Dismissive of global warming. Another 59% expect a local campus to raise their power bills, while 73% support forcing developers to offset demand with rooftop solar or home weatherization.
AMAZON'S OHIO CAMPUS COULD DRAW 30 TIMES THE COUNTY'S POWER
WVXU
A regulatory filing puts the potential load near 1,300 MW, compared with Adams County's roughly 43-MW annual use. Residents say they learned of the project only in February and are now digging through public records for answers on electricity, water and the Ohio River.
INDIANAPOLIS PUTS TWO DATA CENTERS ON CONTAMINATED LAND
Mirror Indy
One approved site has metals in its soil and groundwater that fails drinking-water criteria; the other is a former Ford manufacturing property with land-use restrictions. Brownfield redevelopment can remove blight, but residents want proof that construction will not reopen old exposure pathways.
CLIMATE GROUP TELLS DEMOCRATS TO RUN AGAINST DATA CENTERS
Axios
Climate Power is advising 2028 hopefuls and campaign committees to capitalize on falling public support for the industry. The memo is a sign that backlash over bills, water and local control is graduating from town halls into a national partisan strategy.
Stat of the Day
Two-thirds
How much the U.S. gas fleet would grow if every project in development gets built
The capital cost would top $647 billion, and the turbine backlog is already pushing developers toward smaller, dirtier units.
The Guardian ↗