Around the Local
A federal court issued a preliminary injunction blocking the Trump administration's halt of the Revolution Wind offshore project, allowing construction to resume on the nearly-complete wind farm. Gov. Lamont praised the ruling, stating the project will deliver diverse energy supply and lower utility costs for over 300,000 Connecticut homes while creating good-paying jobs.
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Demolition work begins on Hartford's vacant data processing center near Dunkin' Park, making way for a $90 million AI center, boutique hotel, and parking garage. The $9.4 million demolition is expected to complete by June, clearing the site for RMS Cos. redevelopment that includes a proposed center for applied artificial intelligence with potential Google technology partnership.
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US electricity consumption is forecast to reach record levels in 2025 and 2026, driven primarily by surging demand from data centers and AI workloads. EIA projects total power demand rising from 4,110 billion kilowatt-hours in 2024 to over 4,260 billion kilowatt-hours in 2026, marking the first time since 2007 that demand has risen for four consecutive years.
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Microsoft announced a "Community-First AI Infrastructure" policy ensuring communities won't bear the full cost of electricity consumption and grid expansion from its data centers, following Trump administration pressure. The company's commitment comes as IEA estimates US datacenter electricity demand could triple by 2035, from 200 to 640 terawatt-hours annually.
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Wind and solar generated 30% of EU electricity in 2025, surpassing fossil fuels at 29% for the first time, driven by a surge in solar installations that grew 20% for the fourth consecutive year. Energy think tank Ember reports coal power fell to a record low of 9.2%, though gas generation rose 8% due to lower hydropower availability, lifting import costs to 32 billion euros.
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The Trump administration halted construction on five offshore wind projects in December citing classified national security concerns, but has refused to share specifics with developers or the public. Wind companies filed lawsuits arguing the lack of transparency suggests political motives rather than legitimate security threats, as experts note that concerns about wind turbines affecting military radar systems have been known for decades.
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Ray Ryerse, business manager for IBEW Local 86, has been elected president of the Rochester Building Trades Council, succeeding Grant Malone who served for five years. Ryerse, a longtime advocate for registered apprenticeship programs and jobsite safety, will lead the council representing affiliated construction trade unions across the Greater Rochester and Finger Lakes region.
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The Trump administration suffered three court losses last week in its campaign against offshore wind, as federal judges lifted stop-work orders on major projects. Industry advocates and even some oil industry figures have grown alarmed by the administration's anti-wind vendetta, which threatens to restrict power supply at a time when electricity demand is surging from data centers and other sources.
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The January 2026 blackout in Caracas during US military operations against Venezuela demonstrated how cyber warfare targeting industrial control systems has become a precision weapon in modern conflict. Experts warn that widespread adoption of insecure distributed energy resources like residential solar inverters creates decentralized vulnerabilities, while examples like Stuxnet, Industroyer, and Volt Typhoon show nation-states are actively pre-positioning within critical infrastructure networks.
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The Trump administration has dramatically reshaped federal education policy in its first year through cuts to grants for deaf and blind students, rural teacher programs, and Wi-Fi hotspots, while closing five of ten Head Start regional offices, freezing billions in school funding, and redirecting civil rights enforcement away from equity programs toward investigations of diversity initiatives and transgender student policies.
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