Infrastructure

"The state’s first climate deception case unfurled Thursday in North Carolina Business Court, where attorneys for the town of Carrboro and Duke Energy spent six hours sparring over legal arcana to answer a single question: Should a jury hear a case alleging that Duke Energy is responsible for lying about the link between climate change and extreme weather that has inflicted millions of dollars of property damage on the town? "

"Federal workers across the government are bracing for possible cuts after the White House instructed agencies Wednesday night to consider widespread layoffs in the event of a shutdown." "The White House has directed federal agencies to consider handing out pink slips if the government shuts down."

"NAACP leaders cite energy, water usage and a lack of transparency around the project as causes for concern."

"OpenAI and Oracle announced Tuesday that they are planning to build five new data center sites as part of the “Stargate” project, a development that would significantly expand U.S. AI infrastructure and could affect the makeup of the grid in multiple states."

"The Nature Conservancy on Tuesday announced a landmark investment worth $168 million to purchase and oversee Brookfield Renewable’s four hydroelectric dams on the lower Kennebec River in Maine, paving the way for their eventual removal."

"The Department of Energy is aiming to “return more than $13 billion in unobligated funds” that were authorized by Congress in the Biden administration to fund clean energy projects, DOE said Wednesday."

"The world is producing too much coal, oil and natural gas to meet the targets set 10 years ago under the Paris Agreement, in which countries agreed to limit climate pollution and avoid the worst effects of global warming."

"The AI-driven boom in data centers is putting growing demands on water in California and the Southwest.
New legislation in California would require data centers to report how much water they use."

"When a disaster strikes, be it a hurricane, flood, wildfire, or other type of extreme weather, an army of workers assemble. They arrive in waves to ravaged areas ready to respond." "From cleanup crews to powerline techs, these are the workers called in after catastrophe."

"Ninety-eight years ago, the nation’s largest power grid operator was founded here by utilities serving Pennsylvania and New Jersey. On Monday, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro threatened to pull his state out of the coalition."