Virginia’s booming data center industry is driving unprecedented energy demands, straining the state’s natural gas infrastructure and prompting calls for new pipelines. A Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC) report warns that expanding pipeline capacity may be necessary to meet the surge, bringing with it additional logistical and environmental challenges.
See the full story in the Virginia Mercury.
More DMV News
State Launches Panel To Study Climate Implications Of Pension System Investments
Maryland Matters
Maryland officials have taken a step closer to divesting from fossil fuels and considering climate risks when evaluating proposals for how the state retirement and pension system should invest and earn money.
Here’s How Flood-Prone Alexandria Is Adapting To Reality Of Climate Change
WUSA9
While much of the D.C. region grappled with drought conditions in late 2024, Alexandria has seized the opportunity presented by the dry weather to make significant strides in addressing the challenges of climate change.
Maryland Uses Millions In Federal Grants To Ramp Up EV Charging Network And Keep Up With Demand
Inside Climate News
Maryland is making big moves to ensure that electric vehicle drivers across the state can hit the road without worrying about running out of juice. Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) issued a call for proposals to build up to 29 new EV charging stations across the state’s highways.
Virginia To Host World’s First Fusion Power Plant
Virginia Mercury
Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS), a fusion power company founded in 2018 in Cambridge, Mass., unveiled plans to build the groundbreaking facility on a 100-acre site at James River Industrial Park in Chesterfield County. The plant, expected to generate 400 megawatts of electricity — enough to power 150,000 homes — could be operational by the early 2030s.
National and International News
Holiday Revelry In United States Produces Massive Quantity Of Plastic Waste
CBS News
According to Stanford Researchers, during the holidays, from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Eve, Americans create a gigantic mountain of plastic waste, about 25% more waste compared to the rest of the year.
Chart: Geothermal Has Vast Potential To Meet The World’s Power Needs
Canary Media
Thanks to next-generation technologies, geothermal has the potential to produce more electricity than any clean energy source but solar, IEA says.
Soaring Power Demand Could Fuel Trump Carbon Boom
E&E News
Stagnant power demand undermined then-President Donald Trump’s pledge to save coal in his first term. Now, soaring power needs could boost his energy agenda when he returns to the White House later this month.
Drilling Could Resume Where A 1969 Oil Spill Inspired Earth Day
Washington Post
Sable’s plan — to resume drilling at three offshore platforms and pump oil through a buried pipeline running for miles up the coast — is reopening old wounds in this winsome seaside city. Many places are pro-environment and wary of pipelines. Santa Barbara was the first, with oil spills spawning an environmental ethic that is central to the city’s identity.
Chicago Keeps Its New Year’s Resolution: All City Buildings Now Use 100% Clean Power
Grist
It takes approximately 700,000 megawatt hours of electricity to power Chicago’s more than 400 municipal buildings every year. As of January 1, every single one of them — including 98 fire stations, two international airports, and two of the largest water treatment plants on the planet — is running on renewable energy, thanks largely to Illinois’ newest and largest solar farm.