Paying for the future - Reality v. Politics
How do we tell the kids?
Join me at 10:30 this morning on You Tube Live - taking questions on news of the day from William Saxman and Mary Taylor. Gen X vs. Millennials!
Topics include but not limited to:
1. Don Lemon Musk interview takeaways
2. Haiti gives over power under threat of genocide by a man named Barbecue who is a cannibal. Open Florida to refugees?
3. Ken Buck resigns next week. The Republican Party continues its losing streak
4. Aaron Rodgers possibly on RFKs ticket. Democrats waste no time starting smear campaign
Must Read: Bloomberg Rogoff Says Biden, Trump Favor ‘Blowing Up’ US Debt Duo are the most protectionist US presidents ‘in a long time’ Harvard economist says ‘free lunch’ era of low rates is gone
Bullet point summary:
• Vast regions of the U.S. are at risk of power shortages as data centers, crypto mining operations, and clean-tech factories proliferate, straining the aging power grid.
• Demand for industrial power is surging to record highs in states like Georgia, Arizona, Virginia, and Texas, outpacing projections and transmission capacity.
• Major factors driving the skyrocketing demand include rapid AI innovation requiring power-hungry data centers, growth of cloud computing and crypto mining, and the transition to clean energy like electric vehicles.
• Utility companies are struggling to keep up with demand, leading to battles over who will pay for costly grid upgrades and concerns about stifling the transition to cleaner energy.
• Data centers are increasingly looking to alternative power sources like fuel cells, geothermal, and even experimental technologies like nuclear and fusion to go off-grid.
• The Biden administration is prioritizing easing the grid bottleneck, but the process is politically fraught, involving land acquisitions, environmental reviews, and negotiations over costs.
• Tensions are growing over allocating limited power supplies, with some arguing crypto mining shouldn't drain resources from strategic industries like green hydrogen production.
• Regulators generally cannot prioritize which projects get connected, intensifying concerns over allocation as the power supply becomes scarcer.
Virginia Scope Nine Central Virginia legislators oppose new Dominion plant in Chesterfield
Dominion Energy is trying to build a new gas-fired power plant near Dutch Gap in Chesterfield County, but nine Central Virginia legislators released a joint statement opposing the idea.
Richmond Times Dispatch Denver firm plans big data center on 1,211 acres in Hanover County
Denver-based firm wants to develop a 1,211-acre stretch of rural land east of Ashland as a park for data centers with up to 46 buildings and 862 employees.
The firm, Blenheim Associates, expects the taxable value of park’s buildings and other land improvements would reach nearly $4 billion within 14 years, while the value of the equipment on the site could eventually exceed $23 billion, according to Hanover County planning records.
That means tax revenue that could eventually exceed $68 million a year.
In addition to the data centers, Blenheim plans to install a wastewater pumping station and a battery bank on the site.
The Spokesman-Review US solar factories are in for ‘rude awakening,' report warns
President Joe Biden has made bringing clean energy manufacturing back to the US a top priority, both to create jobs and fight climate change
In other news:
The Business Journals Zach Leonsis says Virginia arena deal 'not dead'
Sen. Louise Lucas, D-Portsmouth, chair of the powerful Finance Committee, refused to docket them.
Cardinal News Eight reasons the arena deal has gone south
I am reminded of that song as I read various behind-the-scenes accounts of how Gov. Glenn Youngkin's proposed sports arena in Alexandria ran afoul of state Sen. Louise Lucas, D-Portsmouth and chair of the Senate Finance Committee. The Washington Post recently published this telling account: Two days before Youngkin and [Washington Wizards and Capitals owner Ted] Leonsis went public with their announcement in December, a key group of a dozen state lawmakers met behind closed doors to give the governor a green light to pursue the deal.
Insurance Journal Virginia Governor Faces Decision on Bad Faith Bill Opposed by Auto Insurers
He told lawmakers that SB256 'incentivizes the auto insurers to treat their own insureds at least as fairly as they treat third parties.' Sen. Scott Surovell, a sponsor of the bill, maintained that 'big' insurers are the ones most likely to deny or refuse such claims, adding that 'not all insurance companies are bad.' Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin Surovell questioned why restoring the law to what it was before the 2017 ruling will unleash all sorts of headaches as insurers have warned.
The Washington Post How Donald Trump switched to defending TikTok
Conway said she was paid to conduct a poll on a TikTok ban and presented the results to Trump and Republicans. Conway said the poll's 11 questions gave Americans a chance to say what they viewed as most important to taking on China.
The New York Times Trailing Trump in Polls, Biden Can Be More Bullish in One Battleground
Across most of the battleground states, President Biden's re-election campaign is trailed by worrisome polling, gripes about a slow ramp-up and Democratic calls to show more urgency to the threat posed by former President Donald J. Trump. Then there is Wisconsin.
The Associated Press Trump wins delegates needed to become GOP's presumptive nominee for third straight election
Thirty-eight percent of Americans viewed Trump very or somewhat favorably in a February poll conducted by the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs, compared to 41% for Biden.
At one point, DeSantis was ahead of Trump in early state polls. But he wilted in the national spotlight, failing to live up to sky-high expectations, despite $168 million in campaign and outside spending.
The Washington Post President Joe Biden meets with Teamsters as he seeks to bolster his support among labor unions
The United Auto Workers later formally endorsed Biden, even as Trump made his own trips to Michigan to criticize the president's push for more electric vehicles – one of the union's chief concerns during their strike. Trump, however, had made his Michigan appearance at a non-unionized auto parts plant.
The Boston Globe MIT's Sloan School launches ambitious climate center to aid policymakers
'If you were the president of a leading public health school and you wanted to be a leader on lung health research, you would not accept funding from the tobacco industry and frame that as bringing in multiple perspectives and collaborating with industry,' Lowe said. 'I think the same is true of fossil fuel money and climate research.' Ernest Moniz — MIT physics professor, founder of MIT's Energy Initiative and former energy secretary in the Obama administration — said industry engagement can accelerate the clean energy transition.
WSET Attorney General Jason Miyares backs Laken Riley Act, urges Senate to safeguard citizens
RICHMOND, Va. (WSET) — On Wednesday, Attorney General Jason Miyares joined a 26-state coalition calling on the United States Senate to pass the Laken Riley Act.
Austin American-Statesman Who voted to ban TikTok? See how your Representative voted in the US House Wednesday
Ben Cline (R-6): YEA Abigail Spanberger (D-7): YEA Donald Beyer (D-8): YEA Morgan Griffith (R-9): YEA
WRIC ABC 8News Sen. Tim Kaine, other lawmakers write letter to USPS regarding ongoing mail issues in Richmond area
On Wednesday, March 13, Sen. Kaine led lawmakers, including Senator Mark R. Warner and Representatives Jennifer McClellan (D-VA-04), Bobby Scott (D-VA-3), Rob Wittman (R-VA-01), Abigail Spanberger(D-VA-07), Bob Good (R-VA-05), and Jen Kiggans (R-VA-02), in sending a letter to the United States Postal Service's (USPS) Inspector General, sharing instances of Postal Service disruptions and delays across the state.
Sports
Augusta Free Press Virginia knows what it needs to do in the ACC Tournament: Win, and you're in
Photo: Mike Ingalls/AFP Tony Bennett talked with reporters in Charlottesville today about the ACC Tournament.
Bleacher Report Men's NCAA Bracketology 2024: Real-Time Seed and Region Projections for All 68 Teams
The Rest (21): 46. James Madison; 47. Princeton; 48.
Wagner The Rest (21): 46. James Madison 52. Samford 55.
Super Sky Point to Eric Carmen for All By Myself