Jeffrey Tomich
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Articles by Jeffrey Tomich
Distaste for data centers brings bipartisan ballot blitz to Ohio
An odd-couple political partnership has put anti-data-center measures on the ballot in 10 Ohio towns. Austin Baurichter (left) and Nick Owens stand against a wall at the Ohio Statehouse on Sept. 30, 2026. | Courtesy of Nick Owens 10/30/2026 12:14 PM EDT Share Nick Owens and Austin Baurichter couldn't be further apart politically. But they've found not just common ground but a common purpose on data centers that's changed the game in Ohio.
Distaste for data centers brings bipartisan ballot blitz to Ohio
Nick Owens and Austin Baurichter couldn't be further apart politically. But they've found not just common ground but a common purpose on data centers that's changed the game in Ohio. Owens, 42, is a lifelong Republican who voted for President Donald Trump.
DOE wants Congress to boost a nuclear tax credit. It might need buy-in from House Democrats.
Trump administration officials’ push for Congress to boost a tax incentive for nuclear projects could get complicated if Democrats win control of the House this fall. Both Republicans and Democrats largely support efforts to bolster nuclear power. But federal incentives for nuclear energy created under 2022’s Inflation Reduction Act have so far failed to attract takers with energy buyers and utilities hesitant to build expensive nuclear reactors.
Whitmer urges Michigan regulators to reject hydro dam deal
A proposal by Michigan utility Consumers Energy to sell its fleet of hydroelectric dams in the state to a private equity company would impose “unacceptable safety and financial risks,” Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer wrote Thursday in a letter to state regulators.
Louisiana regulators kill effort to subpoena details of Meta data center
Meta won’t have to divulge key details about a planned data center in Louisiana after the state’s utility commission voted 3-1 on Wednesday to reverse an administrative judge’s ruling that would have forced the social media giant to release more information about the project.
Democratic governors turn to nuclear power as response to energy crunch
Democratic governors seldom see eye to eye with President Donald Trump when it comes to energy policy. A notable exception: expanding nuclear power. Kathy Hochul of New York, Mikie Sherrill of New Jersey and JB Pritzker of Illinois are among a growing list of Democratic governors who have taken steps this year to encourage nuclear development. Their motivation differs from Trump — whose desire to add 10 new reactors has nothing to do with climate change or reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Wisconsin tells $1.4B data center power line to start over
Wisconsin regulators took the unprecedented step Thursday of forcing the developer of a $1.4 billion power line to restart a yearlong approval process, leaving the timeline for one of the Midwest’s largest data centers in limbo. The Public Service Commission’s 3-0 vote was technical in nature.
A Louisiana energy regulator got a DOE gig. He plans to keep both jobs.
A Trump administration official will help decide later this year whether Louisiana’s largest utility can build seven new natural gas plants to serve Meta’s $50 billion Hyperion data center. Eric Skrmetta is the chair of the Louisiana Public Service Commission — and, as of a few months ago, the principal deputy under secretary at the Department of Energy, according to the Louisiana Illuminator. He told the publication that he plans to keep both positions until the end of his PSC term in December.
NextEra boss points to Florida as what to expect from proposed Dominion merger
The head of NextEra said conversations with officials in Virginia and the Carolinas about the utility’s planned $67 billion merger with Dominion Energy were “going well” and that NextEra’s record in its home state of Florida should serve as an example of what to expect if and when the deal closes.
E&E News: Texas transmission policy sharpens US competition fight
Electric utilities in other states are asking federal regulators to allow monopoly control over projects, while some critics want Texas to have more competitive bidding. ENERGYWIRE | Calls are growing for Texas to end monopoly dominance over major electric transmission projects — just as other regions hope to follow its approach and reduce competition.
Trump’s nuclear push is reviving a moribund debate over waste
The push for a new wave of nuclear power plants has sparked optimism that the technology may be ready to rejoin the build-out of new electricity generation — and finally prod the federal government to address the mountain of radioactive waste that has built up over decades.
Indiana governor shakes up utility panel over rate case
When Indiana regulators approved a $71 million electric rate increase for customers of AES Indiana last month, the decision unsurprisingly drew blowback from frustrated customers on social media. One unhappy voice rose above the others: Gov. Mike Braun. Immediately following the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission’s order, the Republican governor called the decision “unacceptable” in a statement.
Utilities defer ‘net zero’ progress as AI data centers come calling
When electric utility CEOs met in June 2021 for the Edison Electric Institute’s annual conference, the theme was the hottest topic in the industry: The Road to Net Zero. Speakers talked about the urgency of transitioning to clean energy, and they included Princeton University’s Jesse Jenkins, who would help shape the Biden administration’s signature climate law. One notable panel at the conference focused on environment, social and governance (ESG) trends. What a difference five years makes.
Tech heavyweight Oracle challenges Wisconsin data center rules
Software giant Oracle has filed a legal challenge in response to an order by Wisconsin regulators that requires large data centers to post financial guarantees for electric service if their credit rating is below a certain threshold. The company lodged a lawsuit on Friday in Ozaukee County Circuit Court challenging the Wisconsin Public Service Commission’s April order establishing terms and conditions for data centers to receive electric service.
Utility says Midwest grid operator botched power line bid process
A Midwest utility filed a complaint with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission this week claiming the region’s grid operator mishandled the competitive solicitation process for a $350 million power line and four substations in Wisconsin.
S. Gray, Rice, Clemens, Massey, Latz
Gray's strikeout totals on the upswing? … Sonny Gray (RHP, BOS) has delivered steady results at a quick glance (3.03 ERA, 1.20 WHIP), although his season strikeout metrics (19 K%, 10.1 SwK%) would represent his lowest marks since 2016 and 2022, respectively. Any chance this gets better in the second half?
Bregman, Wm. Contreras, Soroka, O'Hearn, Pallante
Bregman has struggled … The Cubs inked Alex Bregman (3B, CHC) to a five-year, $170 million contract following an injury-marred 2025 campaign. Things have not gone to plan thus far. How are things under the hood?
Betts, Imanaga, Machado, R. Ray, Bohm
Betts sees value and luck decline ... An oblique injury sent Mookie Betts (SS, LA) to the IL in April. Even with the lost time, he has a career-low batting average and career-low $2 R$. Should we expect a disappointing season to continue?
Díaz, Harrison, Bleday, Sánchez, Contreras
Díaz builds on '25 breakout … Yandy Díaz (DH, TAM) is out to prove his doubters wrong. Not only is he repeating last year's .300-25 HR season, but he's also improving upon it, hitting .325 with 12 HRs. At 34, do the underlying skills support this level of production?
Tax dispute derails Ohio effort to regulate data centers
A rush to pass sweeping data center regulations in Ohio hit a snag this week when legislative leaders couldn’t reach agreement on proposed tax incentive reforms. Republican majorities in the House and Senate failed to find common ground on what — if any — tax breaks the Buckeye State should offer to lure data center development. The impasse means the Legislature is unlikely to revisit the issue again until the fall.
Q&A: Exelon CEO talks PJM, electric affordability and utility profits
LAS VEGAS — The electric utility industry looked vastly different at the start of 2024 when Exelon CEO Calvin Butler joined the leadership of the Edison Electric Institute, the industry trade group of investor-owned utilities. Democrat Joe Biden was in the White House. Utilities and policymakers were only beginning to grapple with an expected surge in electricity demand from power-hungry data centers. And the topic of electric affordability wasn’t part of the national dialogue.
Arizona, Georgia governors stress ties between energy, economic growth
LAS VEGAS — Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs run distinctly different states, under different political parties. But Kemp, a Republican, and Hobbs, a Democrat, delivered strikingly similar messages Wednesday at the Edison Electric Institute’s annual conference, tying their states’ economic futures to energy development. “Securing our energy future is in everyone’s best interest,” Hobbs said Wednesday morning.
Q&A: Duke Energy CEO on juggling data center demand and affordability
LAS VEGAS — Harry Sideris is little more than a year into his role as CEO of Duke Energy, one of the nation’s largest investor-owned utilities. The 30-year company veteran has set a frenetic pace during that time, as he steers the utility through an unprecedented surge in demand growth and increasing public and political pressure over rising utility bills.
State officials blast effort by utilities to stifle competition
Lawmakers from three Great Plains states and the Illinois Commerce Commission are urging federal regulators to reject a utility–backed proposal to suspend competitive bidding for billions of dollars of new power lines planned across the nation’s midsection. The critics’ central message was that such a move would harm consumers by smothering competition.
Louisiana politician wants to hear about your (electrical) pole
An independent candidate for the Louisiana Public Service Commission is seizing attention with a provocative campaign video calling attention to electric reliability in the Bayou State. The video from Chris Justin, who’s running as a no-party candidate for District 1 on the PSC, parodies erectile dysfunction ads and takes aim at both aging power poles and what he calls a failing record of electric reliability in Louisiana.
Louisiana primary narrows field for open utility commission seats
The Republican candidate for the District 1 seat on the Louisiana Public Service Commission will now be determined in a June runoff between a state lawmaker and a past parish president. State Rep. Stephanie Hilferty and attorney and policy consultant John Young bested three other candidates in Saturday’s Republican primary with 28 percent and 31 percent of the vote, respectively.
Louisianans head to the polls as big energy questions loom
The race for two open seats on Louisiana’s Public Service Commission will be narrowed down Saturday — primary day in the Bayou State. In all, nine candidates — seven Republicans and two Democrats — are seeking spots on the November ballot to represent north Louisiana and the New Orleans suburbs on the five-member commission. The contestants include two GOP state lawmakers and a former president of the state’s second-largest parish. The election comes at an inflection point for Louisiana.
Michigan court affirms policy that clears way for renewable development
A Michigan appellate court mostly upheld the state Public Service Commission’s implementation of a law allowing renewable energy developers to bypass local governments that try to block projects through zoning ordinances. The Michigan Court of Appeals handed down the ruling Thursday afternoon, three weeks after hearing oral arguments in the case that has implications for the state’s ability to meet Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s signature climate law.
E&E News: Why this Michigan utility plans to sell its hydro dams for $13
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Why this Michigan utility plans to sell its hydro dams for $13
A big fight is simmering in Michigan over the smallest of energy deals. The dispute pits the state’s second-largest utility, Consumers Energy, against conservation groups and the agency tasked with shepherding the state’s natural resources, which are challenging the utility’s plan to sell 13 aging, uneconomic hydroelectric dams for $1 apiece to a Maryland private equity firm.
Utilities pledge affordability while spending billions on grid upgrades
The nation’s largest electric providers outlined plans last week to spend hundreds of billions of dollars to bolster the grid, while pledging to prioritize affordability. Consumer advocates aren’t buying it. “Utilities can’t spend that much money without substantial increases to consumers,” said David Springe, executive director of the National Association of State Utility Consumer Advocates.
Trout, Story, Jung, Bradley, Cameron
Trout comes out hot … Mike Trout (OF, LAA) has missed a lot of time due to injury in recent years, but did amass 555 PA in 2025, his highest total since 2019. He has been healthy and extremely productive thus far in 2026. Can he keep it up?
Data centers used to be a prize. States are having second thoughts.
; ; ; ; Continue reading More for You ; ; ; Continue reading More for You
Data centers used to be a prize. States are having second thoughts. Original
The turnabout speaks to the rapidly shifting politics surrounding data centers, as well as the real-world impacts of their construction. North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein (D) has pointed out that sales tax exemptions for data centers — which include exemptions for electricity costs — cost the state up to $57 million every year. “Do we really want to subsidize data center’s consumption of energy and electricity when they make everyone else’s power bills go up?” Stein said in remarks early last month.
Upbeat grid outlook for central US undercuts Trump rationale for keeping open coal plants
The grid operator for the central United States said the region has ample resources to meet electricity demand in the coming year — a declaration that contradicts the reasoning behind the Trump administration’s efforts to keep three Midwest coal plants running in spite of their owners’ plans to shut them down. The forecast by the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) followed the release of results from an annual auction of generating capacity held each spring.
Chisholm, Bradish, C. Walker, Eovaldi, Butler
Chisholm Jr. is running, but that's about it ... Coming off a 30/30 season in 2025, Jazz Chisholm Jr. (2B/3B, NYY) was again expected to be a power/speed maven if health would comply. So far, he's delivered on two of those three (health, speed), but the power has been lacking with just 3 HR and a .218 BA through 113 PA. What do we make of this start?
J. Walker, Ashcraft, Pages, E. Rodriguez, Busch
Walker increases power ... With seven HR in April, Jordan Walker (OF, STL) has already hit more home runs than he did in 2025. How are his skills shaping up early in the 2026 season?
E&E News: Michigan pols race to claim mantle of energy affordability
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Michigan pols race to claim mantle of energy affordability
Michigan Republicans want to repeal the state’s signature climate law in response to rising electricity bills. Democrats blame utilities for the increases and want to change how rates are set. Neither proposal is likely to pass Michigan’s divided Legislature. But the debate is quickly shifting to the campaign trail, where Democrats and Republicans are looking to leverage the issue of rising utility costs to win over frustrated voters.
DOE ordered Indiana coal plant to run despite owner’s objection
The Trump administration’s order last month to keep one unit of an Indiana coal plant running came over objections from its owner, which called the plant unreliable and unnecessary for grid reliability. CenterPoint Energy Indiana, the owner of the F.B. Culley coal plant at the state’s southern tip, urged the Department of Energy in a Feb.
Michigan cities, regulators clash in court over renewable energy law
How much power should Michigan regulators have when they want to approve renewable energy projects over the objections of local governments? That was the question at the center of a courtroom battle on Wednesday between state officials and a coalition of rural Michigan townships and counties that have challenged a 2023 law that empowers the Michigan Public Service Commission.
Missouri town fires half its city council over data center deal
FESTUS, Missouri — Voters in a small Missouri town, unhappy with the city council’s approval of a $6 billion data center, struck back at the polls last week, ousting all four incumbent council members running for reelection.
E&E News: Missouri town fires half its city council over data center deal
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Utilities ask FERC to halt transmission competition across Midwest, Plains
A coalition of nine utilities in the Midwest and Great Plains wants federal energy regulators to suspend a long-standing policy requiring competitive bidding for billions of dollars in new high-voltage power lines. It’s a change the companies claim is key to helping the U.S. win the artificial intelligence race, but one that critics warn would stifle competition.
Illinois balks at climate superfund bill
Illinois lawmakers failed this year to advance a bill that would have forced fossil fuel companies to pay for climate resilience after a coalition of business and labor groups lined up against it. The setback means Illinois won’t soon follow in the footsteps of Vermont and New York, who in recent years have passed similar measures into law. The bill didn’t even get a hearing in the Democratic-controlled Statehouse, despite being sponsored by state House Majority Leader Robyn Gabel (D).
deGrom, Burleson, Miller, O'Neill, Carter
deGrom: Less reward, same risk … A sub-3.00 ERA and WHIP below 1.00 isn't new for Jacob deGrom (RHP, TEX). Topping 170 IP is – at least in recent memory. The veteran seemed to be the same dominant arm we are familiar with from his days in Queens. Do his underlying skills back it up?
Indiana officials press utility executives on rising costs
The presidents of Indiana’s investor-owned electric and gas utilities put up their guard Tuesday in the face of complaints among consumers and policymakers, including Gov. Mike Braun, that climbing energy bills are creating an affordability crisis in the state.
E&E News: Indiana officials press utility executives on rising costs
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Illinois moves to blunt rate hikes tied to data centers
Illinois regulators have approved new terms for data centers seeking to take service from Commonwealth Edison, and they’re opening a broader investigation aimed at protecting other customers from rising electricity costs. The steps taken last week by the five-member Illinois Commerce Commission follow a surge in electricity prices for customers in Chicago and the northern part of the state, which is part of the PJM Interconnection regional grid.
Minnesota slaps limits on pay for utility executives
Minnesota regulators on Thursday voted unanimously to cap ratepayer-funded salaries for Xcel Energy’s top 10 executives at $150,000 apiece annually for the years 2022 through 2024 — millions of dollars a year less than what the company sought. The decision by the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission is the latest development in a lengthy dispute that stems from a routine electric rate case filed in 2021.
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