✨ Data center distortions: My interview with energy policy analyst Shuting Pomerleau

My fellow pro-growth/progress/abundance Up Wingers in America and around the world:

What problem does a data-center moratorium solve, exactly? As these warehouse-sized supercomputers face growing public backlash, they’re blamed for higher electricity bills and strains on the power grid—all while failing to provide enough jobs or tax revenue. But are they actually the problem, or are they exposing problems that have existed for years in America’s electrical grid?

Today on Faster, Please!—The Podcast, I am joined by Shuting Pomerleau, the director of energy and environmental policy at the American Action Forum, where she studies electricity markets and energy policy.

We discuss New York’s controversial decision to pause construction of large data centers, whether AI is really driving up electricity prices, the economic benefits of data centers, who should pay for expanding the grid, and how states should respond to growing demand for power.

In This Episode:

* New York’s Data Center Slowdown (0:16)

* Dealing with Demand (7:09)

* What is the Right Step Forward? (14:24)

* Who is Paying Up? (19:27)

* Can Regulation Fend Off Data Center Growth? (23:39)

* Where Do Data Centers Go from Here (27:44)

A lightly edited transcript of our conversation will appear in my Week in Review issue on Saturday. (Another option is using the Substack auto transcript function.)