Michigan Legislature passed HB4906 (2024 | MI) that extends until 2050 the exemption from the state sales and use tax for data centers. Opponents say that the tax exemption will cost the state $90 million in revenue and that the data centers only achieved 2.6% of their jobs goals. CapCon | Legislature extends tax breaks […]
Monthly Archives: November 2024
Bitcoin & Blooms
A Dutch tulip farm is using excess heat from a bitcoin operation for their tulip greenhouse. Sustainable tulip farming in the modern era. @design1future
Farmland + datacenter + new gas generation
A $5 billion data center in rural NE Louisiana will be powered by a new 1,500-megawatt natural gas plant. Both will be built on state owned farmland. The data center is estimated to employ 300 to 500 people with an average salary of $82,000. Route Fifty | Huge gas plant eyed to power mystery $5B […]
Tax incentives for hyper scale data centers
Michigan lawmakers approved tax breaks for hyper scale data centers. HB4906 (2024 | MI) The bill applies to data centers located on either brownfields or on property that was once an industrial site used primarily as a power plant to generate electricity for sale.
Strategic bitcoin reserve
A bill to create a strategic bitcoin reserve was introduced in the Pennsylvania Legislature this week. The bill would allocate up to 10% of its roughly $7 billion state funds into bitcoin. HB2664 (2025 | PA) Pro-crypto Republican Sen. Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming says she’s hoping to push through her own bitcoin reserve bill on the national […]
Funding for state information security officers
According to the National Association of State Chief Information Officers 40% of their members say they don’t have the budgets to handle the security threats. Insurance premiums are often out of budget. The average cost of a ransomware attack on state and local governments so far this year is $2.83 million. For those keeping up […]
Alaska, Texas, Virginia & Oregon on Data centers
Alaska Governor is working to lure data centers to the state. The Governor looks to rely on building the trans-Alaska gas pipeline to feed the energy-intensive data centers. Lt. Governor Dan Patrick of Texas has stated that “Texans will ultimately pay the price.” for data centers electric usage. In Oregon, their property tax breaks for data centers […]
Social media laws targeting kids
The Computer & Communications Industry Association and NetChoice are asking a federal court to find Florida’s HB3 unconstitutional. The bill restricts social media for children. The lawsuit argues that the bill violates the First Amendment, that its definition of a social media platform is too vague, and that it contradicts federal statute. Route Fifty | Tech associations sue over […]