Energy Grid and Infrastructure

CBS reports that President Donald Trump signed a December executive order to fast‑track federal permitting for data centers and limit state‑level AI regulations, arguing the U.S. must beat China in the race for AI infrastructure, even as communities in northern Virginia and other states push back against its local impacts. In Loudoun County, now home to about 200 facilities that generate nearly half of county property‑tax revenue, residents describe constant noise, on‑site backup power plants, fears of air pollution and concern that rising electricity costs and industrial‑scale buildings will erode home values. Newly elected Virginia delegate John McAuliffe, who flipped a once‑Republican seat, says data centers were a top issue at the doors and is introducing bills to keep residents from subsidizing data‑center power bills and to tighten zoning and environmental rules around backup generators. Industry group Data Center Coalition counters that firms are covering their own grid costs and providing high‑paying jobs and tax revenue, stressing that "digital infrastructure is the backbone" of the modern economy and a national‑security priority because U.S. data should be stored domestically. Census Bureau figures show U.S. data‑center construction spending jumped more than 55% between 2023 and 2024, with heavy activity in Louisiana, Virginia, Mississippi, Texas and Arizona, fueling a broader political fight over how to balance AI‑driven growth against local quality‑of‑life, land‑use and grid‑strain concerns.