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As electricity costs rise, everyone wants data centers to pick up their tab. But how?
- States and utilities are moving to make data centers pay their costs, adopting laws and contract rules to keep added expenses from ratepayers.
- A surge in AI demand is straining grids, as generative AI demand spawns data centers needing more power than small cities, while cost-of-living and voters increase political pressure amid 2026 energy-cost projections.
- Officials are adopting specific rules requiring long-term power contracts, payments for plants and upgrades, while Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs proposes new fees and Oregon disputes Portland General Electric’s implementation.
- Political fallout is already visible, as Democrats ousted two Republicans from Georgia's utility regulatory commission, and last week’s hearing showed FERC Chair Laura Swett said operators seem willing to cover costs, but Landsman disagreed.
- At the federal level, rhetoric has emphasized that data centers should `pay their own way` as Republicans in Washington blame state renewable policies for higher transmission costs, while analysts warn rules won't fix short-term supply gaps.
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52 Articles
52 Articles
Associated Press News+48 Reposted by 48 other sources
As electricity costs rise, everyone wants data centers to pick up their tab. But how?
Politicians from President Donald Trump to local lawmakers agree that tech companies should cover the power costs of artificial intelligence data centers.
·United States
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Op-Ed: Growth of Data Centers Has Serious Impact on Electricity Supply, Costs and the Environment
Artificial intelligence has come to occupy large parts of our lives in a very short time. This rapid change has required massive investment in data centers. Because of data centers’ impacts on electricity, we thought it would be prudent to place solid information in the public eye. Right now university administrations in Pennsylvania have called for large investments in AI through faculty, special administrators, literacy campaigns and new resea…
·State College, United States
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Total News Sources52
Leaning Left11Leaning Right1Center34Last UpdatedBias Distribution74% Center
Bias Distribution
- 74% of the sources are Center
74% Center
L 24%
C 74%
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