WHAT’S HAPPENING TODAY: Good afternoon and happy Thursday, Daily on Energy readers! Tonight, a near-total lunar eclipse will be visible across the entire U.S. This happens when the Earth falls between the sun and the moon, casting a reddish orange shadow on the lunar surface. 🌔🌎🌞 This eclipse is also known as a “blood moon.” The eclipse is set to start at around 9:23 p.m., peaking just after midnight. Click here for more information about how much of the eclipse you’ll be able to see depending on where you live. Welcome to Daily on Energy, written by Washington Examiner energy and environment writers Callie Patteson (@CalliePatteson) and Maydeen Merino (@MaydeenMerino). Email cpatteson@washingtonexaminer dot com or mmerino@washingtonexaminer dot com for tips, suggestions, calendar items, and anything else. If a friend sent this to you and you’d like to sign up, click here. If signing up doesn’t work, shoot us an email, and we’ll add you to our list. As the House returns from August recess, lawmakers aren’t wasting any time to address concerns surrounding data centers.
The House Energy and Commerce Committee will be holding a hearing on Sept. 3 to weigh in on draft legislation that would require data centers to pay for their water use and infrastructure expansion, as well as disclose where they source that water, a committee spokesperson told Maydeen. The Water Cost Water Accountability Act is aimed at ensuring communities do not bear costs from data center water consumption. “While data centers consume a fraction of the water of many other industries and have proven that new technologies are actually reducing new water consumption, nonetheless, Americans should have confidence that data center developers are acting responsibly with local water supplies,” Chairman Brett Guthrie of Kentucky said in a statement. “The Water Cost Water Accountability Act is an important step toward safeguarding our nation’s drinking water and determining whether there are new costs associated with additional water demand,” he added. The committee is no stranger to addressing data center concerns. Before departing for August recess, the committee unanimously voted to advance the bipartisan Ratepayer Protection Act. The bill would require data centers to cover the costs of grid upgrades and other energy system upgrades. CANADA AND U.S. GOING TIT FOR TAT IN TRADE WAR, THREATENING ELECTRICITY PRICES IN SOME STATES:
