Abbott Orders Pause On Texas Data Center Approvals Pending Audit

New York Cannot Ban Federal Agents From Wearing Masks, Judge Rules Authored by Chris Summers via The Epoch Times, A judge ruled on Aug. 3 that New York cannot ban federal agents from wearing masks or balaclavas, or require them to wear visible identification. Masked federal agents wait outside an immigration courtroom in New York on July 8, 2025. Olga Fedorova/AP U.S. District Judge Mae D'Agostino, for the Northern District of New York, wrote that New York state's perspective "is grounded in unavoidable observations of recent troubling events which loom darkly over the...

Texas Electricity Demand Could Quadruple Due To Soaring Data Center Demand: ERCOT Peak demand in the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) territory could more than quadruple to 367,790 MW by 2032, driven primarily by data centers as well as other large load customers, the grid operator said in a preliminary forecast published Wednesday and noted by Utility Dive. Source: ERCOT ERCOT, which serves most of Texas, set its current peak demand record of 85,508 MW in August 2023.  The forecast is based on ERCOT’s economic forecasts as well as information provided by utilities working...

Canada Rethinks Selling Its Crown Jewel Pipeline Authored by Charles Kennedy via OilPrice.com, The Canadian federal government may reconsider a plan to privatize the Trans Mountain oil pipeline. Since the expanded TMX pipeline launched in 2024, exports to Asia—especially China—have surged, with up to 70% of shipments from British Columbia heading to Asian buyers by late 2025. Officials now see TMX as a highly profitable “strategically important asset,” with potential for further expansion The Canadian federal government may reconsider a plan to privatize the Trans Mountain oil pipeline and keep it state-owned amid a...