WHAT’S HAPPENING TODAY:
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WHAT → happen → ?
We hope you didn’t all stay up too late watching the midterm elections.
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you → hope → elections
We’re still waiting for a few races and ballot measures to be called, but those won’t change the blue tsunami that swept the nation last night.
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that → wait → nation
We’ll be watching next week how the flipped chambers may influence immediate issues still before members in the lame-duck session, such as permitting reform.
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chambers → watch → reform
Anti-data center measures saw huge wins yesterday, with nearly all of them passing across 10 states.
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all → see → states
Keep reading to learn more about the measures that passed.
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that → keep → measures
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you → send → you
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ANTI-DATA CENTER MEASURES WIN BIG AT THE BALLOT BOXES:
Last night was a major win for anti-data center ballot measures throughout the country.
As part of our midterm coverage, we were tracking 41 data center measures across 10 states that would limit or facilitate AI development.
Of the 41 measures, only one of the measures that would restrict development is set to fail, in Harwood, North Dakota.
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that → sign → Harwood
All 13 measures that would facilitate data center development are on track to fail, according to Ballotpedia.
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that → facilitate → Ballotpedia
Ohio localities had 21 measures on ballots.
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localities → have → ballots
Several municipalities approved measures that outright ban data center development, such as Urbana, Trenton, Upper Sandusky, and the village of Granville.
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that → approve → Granville
Measures to prohibit data centers that exceed 25 megawatts of power usage passed in the cities of Conneaut, Defiance, and Sunbury, and were leading in votes in the city of Oregon.
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that → prohibit → Oregon
In Alhambra, California, voters have strongly supported a measure to ban data centers, with the proposal having 81.84% of the vote.
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proposal → support → vote
Some jurisdictions are also set to impose moratoriums on data center construction.
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jurisdictions → set → construction
For instance, Bloomington, Illinois, passed an initiative that would advise the city to impose a moratorium on large-scale data centers.
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that → pass → centers
Wells and Wiscasset, Maine, have also imposed temporary moratoriums on data centers.
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Wells → impose → centers
The Wells measure would call for a 180-day pause, while Wiscasset’s measure would impose a six-month moratorium on new or expanded data centers.
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measure → call → centers
Texas Democrat Gina Hinojosa, who defeated Republican Gov. Greg Abbott last night, has called for a statewide moratorium on data centers to allow for the passage of legislation to regulate them.
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who → defeat → them
Georgia Governor-elect Keisha Lance Bottoms has vowed to impose a pause on data center development.
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Bottoms → vow → development
Amy Acton, who won Ohio’s gubernatorial race, has also prioritized reining in data center development, promising to issue guardrails on developments.
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who → win → developments
All the rest:
WHAT DO LAST NIGHT’S RESULTS MEAN FOR PERMITTING REFORM?
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RESULTS → mean → REFORM
Early this morning, analysts with TD Cowen slashed their projected odds of the bipartisan permitting bill passing during the lame-duck session.
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bill → slash → session
In a note obtained by Axios, the analysts said last night’s blue tsunami “likely emboldens voices arguing the bill gives too many concessions” to the oil and gas industry.
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bill → obtain → industry
As we’ve touched on before, key Democrats in the House, including Natural Resources Committee ranking member Jared Huffman, are calling for negotiations to be pushed to the next Congress.
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negotiations → touch → Congress
As a result, TD Cowen said, BAAJA only has a 25% chance of succeeding.
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BAAJA → say → chance
But proponents of the bill aren’t giving up hope.
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proponents → give → hope
“I think a chamber flip was factored into the negotiation and size of flip doesn’t matter much,” Xan Fishman, executive vice president for energy at the Bipartisan Policy Center, told Callie this morning.
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Fishman → think → Callie
“It’s in everyone’s best interest (dems and republicans) to pass the bipartisan deal now.”
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It → ’ → deal
Jane Flegal, who worked in climate policy under the Biden administration, shared that sentiment, saying waiting would be a “terrible outcome.”
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waiting → work → sentiment
She said passing the bipartisan bill would enable the country to build new infrastructure and energy projects as fast as Texas.
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passing → say → Texas
During a press call earlier today, American Clean Power CEO Jason Grumet said permitting reform will be the “first test of Democrats’ willingness to make tough choices…that are needed to actually reduce energy prices.”
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that → say → prices
“There are certainly voices who are going to argue that it would be better to wait,” he added.
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he → be → ?
“But I think that the understanding in Congress is that this is a really unique opportunity, and if we don’t move forward in the next three or four weeks, it’s hard to imagine a bipartisan effort over the next couple of years.”
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it → think → years
SIERRA CLUB RELEASES A LEGISLATIVE BLUEPRINT FOR DEMOCRATS:
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CLUB → release → DEMOCRATS
The Sierra Club wasted no time in releasing a legislative policy blueprint for climate change policies this morning, calling on Democrats to “fight for accountability for Trump’s corrupt, pro-polluter policies and invest in an affordable clean energy future.”
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Club → waste → future
The group specifically calls for the passage of the Energy Bills Relief Act, or similar legislation, that would restore clean energy tax credits and grants slashed by the One Big Beautiful Bill.
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that → call → Bill
The blueprint also calls for guardrails on new data centers, requiring the large-load facilities to be powered by clean energy, not coal or gas; pay taxes on electricity consumption; and pay for their own power.
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facilities → call → power
It also asks Democrats to pass legislation that would repeal fossil fuel subsidies and enact a windfall profits tax on the oil and gas industry.
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that → ask → industry
Additionally, the Sierra Club is asking the next Congress to strengthen the Roadless Rule, enact protections for the Arctic, and block new offshore drilling.
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Club → ask → drilling
You can read the full policy blueprint here.
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You → read → blueprint
…and 40 more, not listed.
The Aporia
