The former site of Pennsylvania’s largest coal-fired power plant is being repurposed into the largest natural-gas powered data center campus in the United States. Officials announced Tuesday that the $10 billion redevelopment project in Homer City will become a critical hub for powering artificial intelligence and high-performance computing technologies.
President-elect Donald Trump plans to declare a national energy emergency to enhance American energy production and reduce energy costs, according to an incoming administration official. The soon-to-be 47th president will sign a series of executive orders shortly after his inauguration to accelerate domestic energy development.
Artificial intelligence (AI) data centers are "distorting" the power grid, according to a Bloomberg report. The outlet's analysis found that "more than three-quarters of highly-distorted power readings across the country are within 50 miles of significant data center activity."
The attorneys general of Montana and Wyoming have filed a lawsuit against the Biden administration following its announcement to halt federal coal production in the Powder River Basin. The Basin, which covers 20,000 square miles in northeastern Wyoming and southeastern Montana, accounts for 85% of federal land-produced coal.
The Biden administration set a new precedent in environmental enforcement during the 2024 fiscal year, including the first-ever arrest for violations of anti-climate change regulations under the American Innovation and Manufacturing (AIM) Act. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued its annual enforcement report on Thursday, showcasing significant increases in penalties, prosecutions, and pollution reduction initiatives.
The Biden administration has halted new coal mining in Wyoming’s Powder River Basin, a region that produces approximately 40% of the nation’s coal. The decision, made through an amendment to the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) Resource Management Plan, prohibits new federal coal leases until 2041, citing the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions as part of the administration’s climate change agenda.
