Friday, May 8, 2026

MARYLAND RATEPAYER WATCHDOG FLAGS $1.6B AI-GRID BILL
Bloomberg
Maryland’s ratepayer advocate says PJM’s cost rules could shift transmission costs from regional load growth, including data-center demand outside Maryland, onto in-state households.

PENNSYLVANIA PUC ADVANCES DATA-CENTER RATEPAYER GUARDRAIL
90.5 WESA
Pennsylvania regulators advanced a proposal asking which grid costs should be paid by general customers and which should be assigned to large new loads.

OREGON APPROVES A SEPARATE DATA-CENTER POWER RATE
The Oregonian
Oregon regulators approved a distinct rate structure for data centers, creating one of the clearest state-level precedents for matching hyperscale load with rate designs built around its grid impacts.

TEXAS REGULATORS WEIGH DATA-CENTER GRID COST REVAMP
E&E News
Texas regulators are considering changes to how large loads pay for grid upgrades, putting ERCOT near the center of the national cost-allocation debate.

FLORIDA SETS NEW RULES FOR DATA-CENTER LOADS
The Ledger
Ron DeSantis signed a law meant to clarify how large data-center projects are reviewed, including questions around utility costs, water, and local land use.

VIRGINIA CARBON MARKET COMEBACK RUNS INTO BILL PRESSURE
E&E News
Virginia’s possible return to the regional carbon market is running into a broader affordability test as governors try to cut power bills.

GEORGIA POWER FUEL CASE GETS A DATA-CENTER LENS
Georgia Recorder
Consumer advocates are pressing Georgia Power over fuel costs as data-center growth sharpens the question of how utilities assign demand risk.

WISCONSIN APPROVES META RATE DEAL, WITH TRANSPARENCY CONCERNS
Wisconsin Public Radio
Regulators approved rates for Meta’s Beaver Dam data center while raising concerns about how much the public can see in large-customer utility deals.

KANSAS CITY BATTERY PROJECT PITCHES LOWER POWER BILLS
The Kansas City Star
Kansas City, Kansas, is moving ahead with a $250 million battery-storage project whose backers say it can reduce bills and add local grid flexibility.

CHINA-LINKED SOLAR RULES SLOW U.S. FACTORY BOOM
Reuters
Reuters reports that banks, insurers, and customers are backing away from some new U.S. solar factories while subsidy eligibility questions tied to China remain unresolved.

AWS DATA-CENTER OVERHEATING RIPPLE HITS MARKETS
Reuters
An overheating incident in Northern Virginia disrupted AWS services tied to major financial platforms, showing how physical infrastructure issues can quickly become market infrastructure issues.

RIOT EYES SMALL NUCLEAR FOR KENTUCKY DATA-CENTER POWER
Lexington Herald-Leader
Riot Platforms and Terrestrial Energy are exploring small modular reactors for future data centers, including Riot’s McCracken County site.

BROOKFIELD EYES A NUCLEAR DO-OVER AT VC SUMMER
The Globe and Mail
Brookfield is exploring a revival of South Carolina’s failed VC Summer nuclear project, testing whether today’s power demand can restart a project defined by cost, schedule, and trust problems.

DATA CENTERS START TAKING ARCHITECTURE SERIOUSLY
Fast Company
Developers are paying more attention to how data centers look, an acknowledgment that design can affect public acceptance even when power and water questions remain.

OHIO DATA-CENTER REVIEW MOVES TOWARD THE BALLOT
WTVG / 13abc
Residents are pushing to put data-center limits before voters, a sign that local review of large infrastructure projects is moving beyond hearings and moratoriums into direct democracy.