Resource Type: News

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June 19, 2026

Scaling Stargate: OpenAI’s Five New U.S. Data Centers Push Toward 10 GW AI Infrastructure | Data Center Frontier

OpenAI's Stargate initiative is expanding with five new U.S. data center sites across Texas, New Mexico, Ohio, and the Midwest, pushing total planned capacity toward 10 GW with over $400 billion in investment. The article details the massive power demands (7–10 GW), water-intensive cooling requirements, and grid interconnection challenges each site faces, along with state-level…

Big Tech, Energy, Financial Analysis, Government & Policy, Technical Resources, Technology Policy, Utilities & Power, Water Quality & Quantity
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June 19, 2026

Louisiana regulators approve new Entergy infrastructure for $10 bil Meta data center | S&P Global

Louisiana's Public Service Commission approves a settlement allowing Entergy to build three gas-fired plants totaling 2,262 MW and a new 500-kV transmission line for a $10 billion Meta data center in Richland Parish. Environmental groups, consumer advocates and major industrial companies oppose the deal, citing potential cost shifts to ratepayers and a 30 percent increase…

Big Tech, Economic Analysis, Energy, Government & Policy, Utilities & Power
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June 19, 2026

Data Center Reform Campaign Continues – The Piedmont Environmental Council

The Virginia Data Center Reform Coalition — over 60 organizations led by the Piedmont Environmental Council — pursued a four-pillar legislative platform during Virginia's 2025 General Assembly session targeting enhanced transparency, state oversight, ratepayer protection, and efficiency incentives. Of 30 reform bills introduced, most were defeated in committee; key ratepayer protection language was weakened, and…

Campaign Strategy, Coalition Building, Community Organizing, Energy, Government & Policy, Legal & Zoning, Public Engagement, Taxes, Utilities & Power
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June 19, 2026

Rural Michigan fights back: How riled up residents are challenging Big Tech data centers

Across southeast Michigan, residents pack township meetings, collect petition signatures and push for moratoriums to block hyperscale data centers proposed by Meta, OpenAI and Oracle. Communities in Howell, Saline, Augusta and Monroe County raise concerns over water use, electricity rates, farmland loss and lack of transparency from developers.

Agriculture/Farmland, Big Tech, Community Organizing, Government & Policy, Legal & Zoning, Public Engagement, Utilities & Power, Victories
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June 19, 2026

Inside Memphis’ Battle Against Elon Musk’s xAI Data Center | TIME

In this in-depth investigation, TIME reveals how Elon Musk's xAI data center in Memphis is harming the predominantly Black community of Boxtown through 35 unpermitted gas turbines emitting dangerous levels of nitrogen oxides. University of Tennessee researchers found peak NO2 levels near the facility spiked 79% after operations began. The article documents the community's resistance…

Big Tech, Community Organizing, Energy, Environmental Justice, Government & Policy, Legal & Procedural, Public Engagement
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June 19, 2026

Elon Musk Gambles Billions in Memphis to Catch Up on AI – WSJ

This Wall Street Journal investigation examines Elon Musk's multibillion-dollar gamble to build xAI's "Colossus" data centers in Memphis, Tennessee at unprecedented speed to compete in the AI arms race. The article explores the massive power and water demands of the facilities and a community divided over the impacts, as the rapid buildout raises questions about…

Big Tech, Energy, Environmental Justice, Utilities & Power, Water Quality & Quantity
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June 19, 2026

Meta signs deal for two solar farms in rural Louisiana tied to massive AI data center

Meta has signed a deal with Treaty Oak Clean Energy for two utility-scale solar farms totaling 385 megawatts in Morehouse and Sabine Parishes, Louisiana, to help power its $10 billion AI data center under construction in Richland Parish. The projects are part of Meta's strategy to match its data center electricity use with clean and…

Big Tech, Energy, Utilities & Power
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June 19, 2026

Which State Has the Most AI Data Centers? Hassan Taher Maps the U.S. Data Center Explosion | The AI Journal

Northern Virginia hosts more than 300 data centers, with Loudoun County supporting nearly 6,000 MW — close to half the national primary market total. Dallas/Fort Worth inventory jumped 173 percent in late 2023. Breaks down clustering across seven states, tying each to grid capacity, tax exemptions and fiber connectivity.

Energy, Taxes, Utilities & Power
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June 19, 2026

Facing a Changing Industry, AI Activists Rethink Their Strategy | WIRED

AI activists are reassessing their strategies in response to the evolving landscape of artificial intelligence, particularly as major companies like Google revise their ethical principles. The AI Now Institute's 2025 landscape report details how power is concentrating in a handful of dominant tech firms and recommends that advocacy groups connect AI issues to broader economic…

Big Tech, Campaign Strategy, Coalition Building, Community Organizing, Technology Policy
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June 19, 2026

Bills Protecting Ratepayers from Data Center Costs and Incentivizing Sustainable Tech Infrastructure Introduced

Two bills introduced in California aim to protect ratepayers from rising energy costs associated with data centers while promoting sustainable practices. Senate Bill 886 requires the Public Utilities Commission to establish a tariff to shield ratepayers from transmission costs, and Senate Bill 887 allows data centers meeting specific criteria to obtain Environmental Leadership Development Project…

Government & Policy, Technology Policy