Energy Briefs: Iran Pressure, U.S. Energy Moves

Bangor, Maine, has passed a six-month moratorium on data center development. This temporary ban was enacted to allow city councilors to gather more information regarding the potential impacts of data centers on local energy and water infrastructure. Separately, after several years of negotiations, data centers and other large customers of Georgia Power have received approval from the Georgia Public Service Commission to fund their own new clean energy projects. These projects, which can include solar and battery systems, will be built and connected to the utility's grid to supply their specific power needs. In Memphis, Tennessee, the NAACP has filed a lawsuit against Elon Musk's artificial intelligence company, xAI. The civil rights organization accuses xAI of violating the Clean Air Act through its use of natural gas-burning turbines to power its data centers in the area, according to a report by CNBC.