Good morning, it’s Wednesday, November 27, 2024. In today’s edition, states woo data centers, at a cost; North Carolina Gov vetoes power grab bill; Harris for Gov buzz goes mainstream:
Top Stories
ENERGY: States are rolling out lucrative incentive plans to win over new data centers, wooed by the siren’s song of tax revenue and high-tech jobs. But those bright spots come with drawbacks: Data centers consume massive amounts of energy, straining electrical grids that are already near capacity.
That strain will get worse. Data center capacity grew by 24% in the first quarter of this year, and the consulting firm McKinsey projects demand to grow by 19% to 22% a year until 2030. Goldman Sachs estimates the power data centers demand will rise by 160% over the same period.
States are looking for new ways to meet that demand — at the same time many are pursuing 100% renewable energy goals. Expect lawmakers to couple the massive incentive packages that data center builders demand with legislation to bolster the energy supply. Read more at Pluribus News.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE: New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) has signed legislation making it a crime to threaten to remove religious clothing like a yarmulke or a hijab. The law would deem such threats aggravated harassment in the second degree. Hochul also signed a bill requiring wireless service providers to disable services to stolen phones. (State of Politics)
EDUCATION: Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) will seek a waiver from the incoming Trump administration to use federal money to fund an alternative summer feeding program next year. Reynolds sought a waiver from the Biden Administration to use summer EBT funding to set up Iowa’s own distribution program. (Des Moines Register)
WILDFIRES: Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek (D) said she would call lawmakers back to special session in December to appropriate $218 million to cover costs of fighting wildfires this year. Fires burned 1.9 million acres in Oregon this year, three times the annual average. (Oregonian)
BALANCE OF POWER: North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper (D) has vetoed legislation that would strip his successor of the power to appoint elections officials and other state leaders. The bill, passed last week, would shift power from the incoming Democratic governor to several Republican elected officials. (Associated Press)
Read the backstory here. The lame duck Republican supermajority will almost certainly attempt to override Cooper’s veto.
In Politics & Business
CALIFORNIA: The buzz around Vice President Harris joining the race for California governor continues to grow. Harris once used an in-state political committee called Harris for Governor 2026, though that committee was terminated in 2018. (Sacramento Bee)
No real news in that story, but for the fact that talk of a Harris campaign is now hitting the mainstream press.
MICHIGAN: Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson (D) has issued guidance allowing elected officials and candidates to use campaign finances to pay for caregiving costs. Michigan joins more than 30 states where candidates can use donations to pay for child care while they run for office. (Michigan Advance)
LOUISIANA: New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell (D) has launched a city-run news service to produce segments for its official YouTube channel. The city did not say how the channel would be funded and whether Cantrell would participate in the coverage. (Associated Press)
By The Numbers
18.3 million: The number of travelers the Transportation Security Administration expects to screen over the Thanksgiving holiday, about 6% more than the same period last year. AAA expects nearly 72 million motorists to hit the road this weekend. (New York Times)
14,311: The student enrollment at North Carolina A&T, making it the largest HBCU school in the country. Howard University in Washington, D.C., is the second-largest, while Morgan State in Maryland is now third at 10,739 students. (Baltimore Sun)
$7.2 million: The amount of fraudulent claims related to the pandemic-era Paycheck Protection Program submitted by employees of the State of Illinois, according to an inspector general’s report. Employees from at least 13 different agencies have illegally taken federal funds, the report found. (Capitol News Illinois)
Off The Wall
A race for a seat on the Denton, Neb., Board of Trustees came down to a tie between John Juricek and Amanda Fangmeier — a married couple who both appeared on the ballot. Instead of drawing lots to determine a winner, Juricek withdrew from the race. (KLKN)
Today in turkey pardons: Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) has pardoned turkeys Caitlin and Clark. No word on whether the University of Iowa standout and Indiana Fever star plans to eat on Thanksgiving. (Cedar Rapids Gazette) Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R) has pardoned Tom and Gladys. (Fort Smith Times Record) New Jersey Lt. Gov. Tahesha Way (D) pardoned Prosecco and Pinot Noir. (Bergen Record)
Quote of the Day
“Because in Minnesota we know turkeys are delicious.”
— Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D), declining to pardon any turkeys. Walz accepted a symbolic presentation of a turkey that the producer, Paisley VonBerge, said would eventually be the star of her family’s Thanksgiving dinner. (Associated Press)