A coalition of right-of-center activists sent a letter Monday to the Senate urging passage of the DATA Act, which would allow off-grid power sources to be built and used without regulation as a public utility.
Led by the Competitive Enterprise Institute, the group stressed the growing demand for electricity from AI data centers and others.
The DATA Act, Decentralized Access to Technology Alternatives, was introduced last month by Sen. Tom Cotton, Arkansas Republican. It would allow data centers to bypass federal energy regulations to encourage the centers to build their own independent, off-grid power supplies.
This initiative is anticipated to support AI infrastructure development and establish “consumer-regulated electric utilities” or CREUs.
“Electricity demand from artificial intelligence data centers and other sources is rising at a rapid rate. At the same time, power plant retirements and renewable energy mandates in the states are pushing the grid to the brink,” the letter said. “The existing electrical grid will continue to struggle to meet this burgeoning demand unless we allow new options for electricity-intensive businesses to procure the power they need.”
It said off-grid power systems are one viable solution.
“In addition to protecting customers, off-grid power systems would allow for the speed and innovation today’s grid sorely lacks. Therefore, the undersigned organizations want to express our strong support for Senate action to remove federal barriers for off-grid power systems, allowing them to more efficiently meet this sudden surge in power demand.”
The signatories include Advancing American Freedom, ALEC Action, Always On Energy Research, Americans for Prosperity, Cascade Policy Institute, The Foundation for American Innovation, Independent Women’s Voice, Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance, Mackinac Center for Public Policy, Pacific Legal Foundation, Pelican Institute for Public Policy, R Street Institute and Texans for Reasonable Solutions.
President Trump is pushing the expansion of AI data centers as part of his efforts to build a U.S. advantage over China.
New ad campaign targets credit card price controls
The National Taxpayers Union launched a major advertising campaign warning voters about the effects of credit card price controls on affordability and access to credit for many consumers.
The campaign is expected to reach audiences through targeted digital advertising that highlights how government-mandated price controls would increase costs for consumers and harm the very families they are intended to help.
“Price controls on credit will backfire onto the vast majority of cardholders with disastrous consequences,” said Brandon Arnold, executive vice president of National Taxpayers Union. “It’s no secret Americans feel the pressure of high costs. This is not the solution.”
Senate lawmakers recently introduced the Credit Card Competition Act to put a 10% cap on credit card rates.
The taxpayers’ organization said that implementing these policies would cause “significant disruptions to the consumer credit market,” including leading card issuers to tighten underwriting standards, eliminate popular rewards programs, and introduce new or higher fees to offset lost revenue.
DHS sued for hiding details of attack on ICE facility in Texas
Judicial Watch filed a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security to obtain video footage and photographs of the July attack on the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Prairieland Detention Facility in Alvarado, Texas.
The lawsuit was filed in the District Court for the District of Columbia after ICE failed to respond to a July 10 FOIA request for surveillance video, body-worn camera footage and any photographs of the July 4 attack.
A federal grand jury in Fort Worth, Texas, indicted nine people whom prosecutors called “North Texas Antifa Cell operatives,” and seven more were charged directly by prosecutors in the attack. The charges include rioting, using weapons and explosives, providing material support to terrorists, obstruction and attempted murder of an Alvarado police officer and unarmed correctional officers.
Interior hit with accusations of political viewpoint purge
Liberal legal group Democracy Forward filed suit against the U.S. Department of the Interior on Monday, seeking to compel the release of information about its September cancellation of some grants for nonprofit organizations as part of an “unlawful political viewpoint purge.”
The documents, Democracy Forward says, requested under the Freedom of Information Act, could reveal communications and guidance regarding the termination of these grants.
The organization noted that the grants’ terminations were announced around the same time a piece in The Daily Caller, a conservative outlet, covered the cancellations, given its focus on “diversity, equity, and inclusion.” Democracy Forward described the terminations as “retribution.”
In his first week in office, President Trump issued a series of executive orders targeting diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in the public and private sectors.
This included terminating diversity, equity, and inclusion offices, posts and programs in the federal government, as well as DEI-related grants and contracts.
• The Advocates column is a weekly look at the political action players who drive the debate and shape policy outcomes in Washington. Send tips to theadvocates@washingtontimes.com.
• Kerry Picket can be reached at kpicket@washingtontimes.com.
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