All posts tagged: Nextera Energy Inc

Maine set to become first state with data center ban

Maine set to become first state with data center ban

Published by Sam Flores

Erik Isakson | Digitalvision | Getty Images Maine is poised to implement the first statewide ban on data center construction, a move that could clear the way for other states to adopt similar measures and pump the brakes on a growing industry. Lawmakers in Maine greenlit the text of a bill this week to block data centers from being built in the state until November 2027. The measure, which is expected to get final passage in the next few days, also creates a council to suggest potential guardrails for data centers to ensure they don’t lead to higher energy prices or other complications for Maine residents. While the bill has garnered bipartisan support, it’s faced fierce opposition from tech groups and businesses worried that even a short delay in construction would set the state back. Glenn Adams, business development director for Sargent Corporation said anywhere that puts a pause on data centers, even a temporary one, will fall behind. The Maine-based building company is constructing data centers in Virginia and North Carolina. “Things are going …

Japan rejects U.S. intel assessment that Takaichi’s Taiwan remarks represent ‘significant shift’

Japan rejects U.S. intel assessment that Takaichi’s Taiwan remarks represent ‘significant shift’

Published by Sam Flores

Sanae Takaichi, Japan’s prime minister, during a party leaders’ debate at the upper house of parliament in Tokyo, Japan, on Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025. Takaichi said she hadn’t intended to get into any details of a Taiwan contingency in recent remarks that have been fiercely criticized by China. Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images Japan on Thursday rejected a U.S. intelligence assessment that said Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s remarks on Taiwan represented a “significant shift” for a sitting Japanese prime minister. Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara told reporters during a press briefing that Tokyo’s approach remains “quite consistent.” “A significant policy shift is not something that is happening right now,” Kihara said, according to a translation provided by the Prime Minister’s Office. The response came as Takaichi arrived in the U.S. for a summit with U.S. President Donald Trump, with the Iranian conflict expected to dominate the meeting. Takaichi had sparked a furious response from Beijing in November when she told parliament that a Chinese attempt to seize Taiwan by force could prompt the intervention …

Top permitting-reform senators meeting as talks thaw: API chief

Top permitting-reform senators meeting as talks thaw: API chief

Published by Sam Flores

U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) speaks to the media following the weekly policy luncheons at the U.S. Capitol on June 21, 2023 in Washington, DC. Kevin Dietsch | Getty Images Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Chair Shelley Moore Capito and ranking Democrat Sheldon Whitehouse are meeting to discuss reforming the federal energy permitting process, American Petroleum Institute president Mike Sommers told CNBC. “We have both the Republican in the United States Senate … Shelley Moore Capito, and the Democrat Sheldon Whitehouse, who [are] responsible for permitting reform, finally meeting again to discuss how we get this done this year,” Sommers told CNBC. A person familiar with the negotiations, granted anonymity to discuss the details, said they “will be talking frequently this week about permitting since negotiations are back on,” but was unaware of any designated meeting time. The person noted committee staff are negotiating regularly. Capito, R-W.V., and Whitehouse, D-R.I., talking regularly comes after Democrats publicly announced a thaw in permitting talks. Democrats walked away from talks last year after the Trump administration ordered …

Warren calls Trump’s bluff on affordability after State of the Union

Warren calls Trump’s bluff on affordability after State of the Union

Published by Sam Flores

Ranking member Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., questions Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent during the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee hearing titled “The Financial Stability Oversight Council’s Annual Report to Congress,” in Dirksen building on Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026. Tom Williams | CQ-Roll Call, Inc. | Getty Images Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren is calling President Donald Trump’s bluff after he claimed to be “ending” the affordability crisis during his State of the Union address, opening a new front in the battle that could determine November’s midterm elections. “Your claims are directly at odds with the day-to-day experiences of American households, who are struggling with rising costs of essentials, including food, housing, health care, child care, and electricity,” Warren, D-Mass., wrote in a letter to Trump, which was shared exclusively with CNBC after being sent late Wednesday.  “Despite your claims, you have not ‘solved’ affordability or ‘defeated’ inflation. Instead, over the past year, prices have skyrocketed for American households,” Warren, the top Democrat on the Senate Banking Committee, wrote. Warren’s letter is the launching point for …

Trump may ‘force’ data centers to pay costs

Trump may ‘force’ data centers to pay costs

Published by Sam Flores

White House trade advisor Peter Navarro speaks to members of the media near the West Wing of the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., August 21, 2025. Nathan Howard | Reuters President Donald Trump’s trade and manufacturing adviser, Peter Navarro, said on Sunday that the White House may force data center builders to absorb their costs as voters continue to sour on the economy and utility prices soar. “All of these data center builders, Meta on down, need to pay for all, all of the costs,” Navarro said on Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures.” “They need to pay, not only pay for the electricity that they’re using on the grid, but they have to pay for the resiliency that they’re affecting as well. They need to pay for the water. So there’s activity, action here going forward, where we force them to internalize the cost.” Navarro did not detail what the White House’s plan to force data center builders to internalize costs would look like. CNBC has reached out to the White House for clarification. When …