From America Online to the rise of AI, Virginia has been good for an industry now transforming the economy and grid. Has the industry returned the favor?

By Dan Gearino, Charles Paullin

ASHBURN, Va.—Driving up the six-lane Route 28 in Loudoun County, Virginia, there’s a dark blue one on the left. Further up the way in a small clearing of trees, there’s a gray one on the right. Across the landscape, metal cables criss-cross in every direction to connect power to the sprawling buildings.

How Did This State Become the Data Center Capital of the World?

Following a pricey settlement, Related Digital will make rural Saline Township, Michigan, the home of its latest data center project.

By K.R. Callaway

At the eastern edge of America’s “breadbasket” region, Michigan’s Saline Township is a quintessential agricultural community. The township is home to 2,200 residents, several family-owned farms and a small historic district—and a hyperscale data center will soon join the list.

Data Center Developer Takes a Small Michigan Farming Community to Court

Republican attorneys general, GOP lawmakers, industry groups and the president himself are all maneuvering to foreclose the ability of cities and states to hold the fossil fuel industry liable for damages linked to climate change.

By Dana Drugmand

As efforts continue to hold some of the world’s largest fossil fuel corporations liable for destructive and deadly climate impacts, backlash from the politically powerful oil and gas industry and its allies in government is on the rise, bolstered by the Trump administration’s allegiance to fossil fuels.

Trump and Republicans Join Big Oil’s All-Out Push to Shut Down Climate Liability Efforts