Record heat, two rate hikes and a data center boom have turned utility bills — not climate — into the state’s most volatile issue.
Voters angry about rising electricity bills have turned the fight over powering AI into the defining issue of the state’s 2026 elections.
Anger over surging utility rates already toppled two Republicans on a powerful state commission. It may not stop there.
As data centers grow as an election issue, a state House candidate hopes her opposition will finally propel her to victory.
Legislators debate a possible moratorium while residents take their demands and health fears directly to a data center developer.
By 2030, the centers could consume the equivalent of adding another city the size of L.A. to the state’s power grid.
Amid health concerns, residents in a Virginia community push back on proposed gas plant.