All posts tagged: Williams Companies 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 …

Alan Armstrong to fill Oklahoma U.S. Senate seat through year end

Alan Armstrong to fill Oklahoma U.S. Senate seat through year end

Published by Sam Flores

Alan Armstrong, then chief executive officer of Williams Cos., speaking at the 2024 CERAWeek by S&P Global conference in Houston, Texas, US, on Wednesday, March 20, 2024. F. Carter Smith | Bloomberg | Getty Images Oklahoma’s governor on Tuesday appointed energy executive Alan Armstrong to serve in the U.S. Senate through the end of the year and finish the term of Republican Markwayne Mullin, the new homeland security secretary. The choice by Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt, who had pledged to pick a “conservative voice” to fill Mullin’s seat, elevates the chairman and former CEO of Williams Companies, a major pipeline operator based in Tulsa, to the Senate. “He’s a strong business leader who understands the power of free markets and limited government,” Stitt said. Mullin, who was confirmed on Monday to take over the embattled Department of Homeland Security, would have been up for reelection in November. The last nine months of his term will now be filled by Armstrong, who, under Oklahoma law, must agree not to run for a full term this fall. …

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 …

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 …