Potomac River named most endangered in the U.S. (VA/DC). American Rivers cited a 243-million-gallon sewage spill and cumulative data center water demand from 300+ facilities in the watershed. The Potomac supplies drinking water for 5 million people. Data centers account for just 1% of total withdrawals but 9% of consumptive use — water permanently removed from the watershed. (Virginia Mercury)
Maryland passed the Utility RELIEF Act (MD). Gov. Wes Moore signed legislation incentivizing construction of methane gas and nuclear power plants for AI data centers, including a study to identify 50 new generation sites statewide. Food & Water Watch called it contradictory to electricity affordability goals. The opposite of Maine’s approach. (Targeted News Service)
$3.1 million per permanent data center job (International). Australian investigation found projected $26 billion in data center investment would create only 8,300 operational jobs by 2030. Virginia-based research found investment per permanent data center job was nearly 100 times greater than for jobs outside the industry. (The Age, Melbourne)
Virginia Tech researcher warns 90% of data center water use is offsite. Associate Professor Landon Marston estimates roughly 90% of a data center’s total water footprint comes from power generation, not direct cooling — meaning communities focused only on onsite water use are missing the larger impact. (States News Service)
Michigan industry op-ed ran in five small-market papers. Guest columnist Mike Brownfield compared data center opposition to early resistance to auto factories. The piece ran in Cheboygan, Coldwater, Sault Ste. Marie, Sturgis, and Hillsdale — all smaller communities that may be data center targets. Coordinated industry messaging worth tracking. (Gannett Michigan)
Aligned Data Centers broke ground on 540-MW facility in Hale County, TX. Project Caprock covers 313 acres with an estimated $5 billion economic impact. Company claims closed-loop water system designed to avoid competing with Ogallala Aquifer agricultural use. (Lubbock Avalanche-Journal)
FirstEnergy investing $24 million in Trumbull County, OH grid upgrades. Replacing aging wooden poles with steel structures on 3 miles of 138-kV transmission line serving 16,000+ customers. Part of a $36 billion grid modernization program through 2030. (PR Newswire)
Oracle laid off 30,000 workers (~20% of workforce) to pivot from software to AI infrastructure, betting on long-term compute rental contracts with companies like OpenAI ($300 billion deal). Analysts flag a debt-to-equity ratio above 400% and extreme customer concentration. (Washington Post)