‘I Know I Couldn’t Live Here’: Standing Up to a Data Center in Alabama’s Black Belt

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• Oct 1
  VOTE·Jefferson Co., AL

  Alabama data center law takes effect Oct. 1: Here’s what it means for your power bill

  A new Alabama law taking effect October 1 establishes rules for determining whether data center contracts keep their costs off residential customers' bills. The law requires data centers using 150 megawatts or more of electricity to pay their fair share of incremental costs while creating downward pressure on rates for existing customers, though contract details remain heavily redacted from public view.

  WBRC · Jefferson Co., AL
• Oct 1
  LAWSUIT·DeSoto Co., MS

  Mississippi News Report — Wed, Sep 30: Bank Arrest, $6B Data Center

  Southaven police arrested a suspect and charged him with robbery following a Wednesday morning bank robbery at Renasant Bank. A $6 billion data center is planned for Jefferson Davis County, and Blue Mountain Christian University announced its president will retire at the end of the 2026–2027 academic year.

  tippahnews.com · DeSoto Co., MS
• Sep 30
  NEWS·Hillsborough Co., FL

  TECO submits plan to ensure customers don’t pay for data centers

  Tampa Electric Company submitted a plan Wednesday requiring large-load customers like data centers to pay the full cost of grid upgrades needed to support their operations, complying with a Florida law signed in May protecting ratepayers from covering data center costs. The plan came as the U.S. Senate blocked a federal bill attempting to establish similar national standards.

  WFLA · Hillsborough Co., FL · also at WFLA
• Sep 30
  MORATORIUM·Florida

  Inver Grove Heights: Contentious data center proposal moves forward

  The Inver Grove Heights City Council approved a major site plan Monday for a nearly 55,000-square-foot data center after the developer sued the city over its data center moratorium. The council voted to amend the yearlong moratorium, and the developer agreed to dismiss the lawsuit.

  Pioneer Press · Florida
• Sep 30
  NEWS·Georgia

  News | Meta-backed lease helps CleanSpark secure billions for Georgia data center

  CleanSpark secured nearly $2.3 billion in senior secured notes for its planned Sandersville, Georgia data center after signing a long-term lease with a tenant whose obligations are backed by Meta.

  CoStar · Georgia
• Sep 30
  VOTE·Georgia

  Data center bill pushes four Senate Democrats to break ranks

  Four Senate Democrats voted to advance a GOP data center bill on Sept. 30, breaking with party leadership. Senate Democrats blocked the Ratepayer Protection Act, arguing it didn't sufficiently mandate that data centers pay for power infrastructure upgrades, while Republicans said it would help control energy costs.

  Yahoo · Georgia
• Sep 30
  NEWS·Fulton Co., GA

  Metro Atlanta colleges partner with Microsoft to train workers for data center boom

  Headline onlyThe Business Journals · Fulton Co., GA
• Sep 30
  UTILITIES·Louisiana

  House Speaker calls data center opposition a ‘Chinese psyop’

  House Speaker Mike Johnson called opposition to data centers a "Chinese psyop" during a Monday interview, while emphasizing that developers must earn community trust by addressing concerns about utility rates and water resources. Johnson noted Congress passed the Rate Payer Protection Act to ensure data center developers commit to protecting local ratepayers and serve as good corporate partners.

  The Center Square · Louisiana · also at The Center Square
• Sep 30
  NEWS·Mississippi

  $6B data center planned for Jefferson Davis, one of the poorest counties in the country

  Headline onlyMississippi Today · Mississippi
• Sep 30
  NEWS·Shelby Co., TN

  Mapped: Data centers in the Memphis metro area

  Headline onlyThe Business Journals · Shelby Co., TN
• Sep 30
  VOTE

  Senate blocks bill aimed at keeping data center costs off electric bills

  A Senate bill requiring state utility regulators to consider making data centers pay for grid upgrades failed Wednesday with a 57-43 vote, three short of the 60 needed. Democrats opposed the measure, arguing it should mandate rather than merely encourage states to impose such costs on large power users.

  WVTM Channel 13
• Sep 30
  PERMIT

  A startup wants to build a massive nuclear-powered data center on public land in Utah

  Valar Atomics plans to build a nuclear-powered data center called "Project Beehive" on over 9,000 acres of federal land near Price, Utah, featuring approximately 456 small reactors that would collectively produce around 9.6 gigawatts of power. The project, which also includes a nuclear fuel production facility and waste storage, aims to begin nonnuclear construction by year-end with the first reactors operational in 2028.

  Georgia Public Broadcasting