Good morning. The midterm campaign has found its newest yard sign: no data center next door.
Top Stories
TRUMP BETS OHIO VOTERS WILL EMBRACE DATA CENTERS
The Hill
Trump defended the AI buildout at a Saturday rally for Sen. Jon Husted, arguing that opposition would send investment to China. He praised the ratepayer bill Husted failed to fast-track in the Senate, in a race where Sherrod Brown is hammering Husted over data-center tax breaks.
DATA CENTERS BECOME TENNESSEE'S NEW POLITICAL BATTLEGROUND
The Tennessean
Local opposition is moving into statewide campaigns as AI companies increase lobbying and political spending. Candidates are being pushed to choose between investment promises and voter concerns about power, water and land.
VIRGINIA'S DATA-CENTER BACKLASH RESHAPES THE HOUSE MAP
Newsweek
Three Republican-held districts have become more competitive as candidates turn data centers into a campaign issue, with polling showing opposition running across party lines.
PERMITTING DEAL TRADES FASTER POWER LINES FOR FEWER CHALLENGES
Vox
The Senate package would expand federal power over multistate transmission and require court challenges within 150 days. It also limits presidential interference with approved projects, protecting renewables and fossil-fuel infrastructure alike.
MINNESOTA AG CHALLENGES XCEL'S 15-YEAR GOOGLE DEAL
MPR News
Attorney General Keith Ellison asked regulators to withhold approval of the Pine Island data-center agreement until Xcel shows other customers are shielded from stranded costs. Xcel says the deal brings more than $1.1 billion in net benefits; the AG's analysis suggests closer to $1 billion in net costs.
Power & Grid
ORACLE OFFERS TO TAKE A $300 MILLION NUCLEAR BILL OFF WISCONSIN RATEPAYERS
Forbes
Oracle plans to buy 125 MW to 250 MW from Point Beach, Wisconsin's only nuclear plant, for its Port Washington campus, subject to state approval. We Energies says the deal could shift about $300 million in fuel costs away from customers from 2027 through 2033; the existing Point Beach contract drives about 20% of its proposed 2027 rate increase.
SIX NEW ENGLAND STATES START DRAWING A NUCLEAR ROAD MAP
Maine Morning Star
Officials are exploring regional investment and deployment models for advanced reactors while trying to preserve existing plants. Cost, unproven small-reactor designs and unresolved waste storage remain the central obstacles.
FERC NARROWS WHO PAYS TO KEEP CENTRALIA ALIVE
Utility Dive
FERC rejected TransAlta's plan to spread $19.9 million in emergency costs beyond the Northwest. The agency said regional utilities still owe reasonable expenses even though the 730-MW coal unit produced no electricity through July.
SOLAR SURGE HELPS KEEP SUMMER GAS BELOW $3
The Center Square, citing U.S. Energy Information Administration data
U.S. solar generation rose 22% from June through August as July electricity sales hit a record 415.2 billion kWh. Wind grew 9.8% and gas just 1.8%, helping Henry Hub average $2.93 despite the hottest July on record.
RURAL RENEWABLES LIFT JOBS WITHOUT SHRINKING AGRICULTURE
KCUR
A University of Missouri study found solar development lifted employment and wages 10% to 20% in the utility, construction and transportation sectors, while wind counties saw GDP rise about 7%. Neither was linked to a decline in agricultural GDP, jobs or wages.
Data Centers
AMAZON DROPS NDAS AND PLEDGES $1 BILLION TO HOST COMMUNITIES
Wired
AWS chief Matt Garman says more than 100 data-center moratoriums are under consideration and promises another $1 billion over five years for education, job training, energy affordability and local priorities. Amazon also says it no longer uses NDAs with government agencies.
DATA CENTERS PUT $343 MILLION INTO RURAL TEXAS
Grist and The Texas Tribune
A statewide tally found at least $343 million in company spending on local water systems, schools and emergency services. The money includes Rowan's $38 million Temple pledge and a QTS replacement for Turkey's failed water tower.
MORE THAN 100 RURAL DATA CENTERS COULD QUALIFY FOR A NEW TAX BREAK
Wired
Expanded Opportunity Zone rules take effect next year and may cover scores of capital-intensive projects without requiring permanent job creation. Searchlight identified more than 100 possible beneficiaries, though Amazon, Meta and Microsoft say they are not using the program.
FOUR DATA CENTERS DELIVER $83 MILLION TO FORT WORTH
Fort Worth Report
The city says five years of gross property-tax revenue from four facilities totaled $83 million. Their 2024 contribution equaled 8,378 average homes, but officials are still weighing water, power, noise and neighborhood costs.
AMAZON'S TEXAS CAMPUS WINS WATER PERMITS DESPITE OPPOSITION
The Center Square
Groundwater regulators approved permits tied to Amazon's 3,000-acre, 13-building Wharton County campus. Amazon says cooling will use no groundwater, while approved wells could supply construction, restrooms and fire protection.
Stat of the Day
54% to 15%
Likely voters prefer an anti-data-center congressional candidate
A CBS News/YouGov poll found 54% favored a candidate who opposed local construction, compared with 15% for a supporter. Another 31% said it made no difference.
Newsweek ↗