This week for the Daily Yonder. As the legislative session wraps up in Illinois, state lawmakers are debating the POWER Act to regulate data centers.

Yesterday for the Daily Yonder. Rural Illinois activists are behind a bill that would end companies' ability to use eminent domain to build CO2 pipelines in the state. This story came from a trip to central IL last month, where I spoke with one of the lawmakers sponsoring the bipartisan bill.

Last week for the Daily Yonder. This story is one I worked on for a while, about a rural town in Maine that lost out on nearly a quarter of a million dollars in federal funding for affordable housing, because of a data center that didn't get built. Read it here: dailyyonder.com/how-a-data-c...

I put together a map for @dailyyonder.bsky.social showing proposed data centers in Maine, now that they're not subject to a moratorium. The majority of data centers under consideration have been slated for rural communities in the state. Full story: dailyyonder.com/maine-govern...

Yesterday for the Daily Yonder. Maine Gov. Janet Mills wrote to legislators that she vetoed a first-of-its-kind data center moratorium bill because it did not include exemptions for a $550 million data center development in rural Jay, Maine, a former mill town.

Maine lawmakers have sent a moratorium bill that would temporarily ban large-scale data centers to Gov. Janet Mills’ desk. If she signs it, Maine would be the first state in the country to impose such a restriction. I dug into what it means for New England, and the U.S., if this bill goes through.

Today for the Daily Yonder. Illinois lawmakers are considering legislation to bring more regulation to data centers in the state.

Volunteers in #Maine are spending spring nights outside with flashlights and rain gear to watch as #amphibians cross the road. Their data helps researchers identify dangerous areas and consider potential infrastructure changes. Read more from @juliatilton.com 👇 themainemonitor.org/amphibian-gr...

Rising physical attacks on grid equipment have pushed utilities to up their game to protect the power supply. One of the main new threats: drones. Here's how utilities are preparing. By @juliatilton.com for @spectrum.ieee.org spectrum.ieee.org/power-grid-a...

Physical attacks on the grid are rising, prompting utilities to address security threats, including those from drones. But the issue isn't unique to the U.S., grid security experts told me for my latest piece out yesterday in @spectrum.ieee.org. spectrum.ieee.org/power-grid-a...

As the nationwide expansion of #datacenters arrives in New England, questions about #electricity prices, grid reliability, and impact on water resources are forcing elected leaders in #Maine to pump the brakes. Read more for free from @juliatilton.com below 👇 themainemonitor.org/maine-consid...

Today for the Daily Yonder. Maine lawmakers are considering a moratorium on data centers as businesses move into the region.

Friday for the Maine Monitor. I dug into what a climate superfund act could look like for Maine, amidst legal challenges against similar laws in New York and Vermont.

Last week for the Daily Yonder. This conversation with journalist and filmmaker Jon Bonfiglio was recorded during a reporting trip down the Hudson River in Sept. 2025. We spoke about journalism, the Hudson River Valley, and how rural communities engage in environmentalism.

Those who know me know I am a huge Bad Bunny fan. Benito’s performance of El Apagón during his set last night was a pointed message about Puerto Rico’s power grid. I reported on *some* of those challenges for @spectrum.ieee.org last summer.

Yesterday for the Maine Monitor, I wrote about a tiny but mighty species of zooplankton that fuels the Gulf of Maine’s ecosystem.

Today for the Daily Yonder. This story comes from time spent in the rural communities on the banks of the Hudson River last September, reporting at times from a leaky canoe. dailyyonder.com/hudson-river...

Yesterday for @spectrum.ieee.org. I asked renewable energy firms how their communications have changed under the second Trump administration. In addition to politics, they told me that AI and the need for power are driving their messaging campaigns.

Today for the Daily Yonder. I dug into why rural Wisconsin has become a bit of a hotspot for data center development. Spoiler: it has to do with taxes.

For last week's Climate Monitor newsletter, I wrote for @themainemonitor.org about the first 44 projects funded with Maine's trail bond, and how the work relates to climate change. themainemonitor.org/building-tra...

The best book I read this year was @sarahkendzior.bsky.social‘s The Last American Road Trip. My brief review, plus more rural media recommendations from my colleagues, are at the link below.

It's that time of year where every reader donation to @dailyyonder.bsky.social is matched until Dec. 31. If you like what you see (or hear, or watch) from the Yonder, please consider a donation to keep rural journalism going. dailyyonder.com/rural-news-i...

Last week, the folks at GNAT-TV in Vermont were kind enough to have me on their Press Pass program. I spoke about my recent energy and climate reporting in rural New England and across the U.S. for @dailyyonder.bsky.social. We talked about data centers, FEMA, and more: gnat-tv.org/press-pass-j...

In this week’s Climate Monitor, I wrote about what the end of the federal tax credits for heat pumps mean for Mainers.

Today for the Daily Yonder. Energy policy experts say rural utility customers face unique challenges around access to fuel and energy affordability programs, at the same time as electricity prices continue to climb.

Catching up after Thanksgiving: Sat down with @aseitzwald.bsky.social of The Midcoast Villager for last week’s Q&A in @dailyyonder.bsky.social. We talked shop about rural news, earning trust, and what to make of the media industry in 2025. dailyyonder.com/qa-rural-mai...

Back in September, I spent a day in the woods (almost) getting lost down a dirt road with a team of carbon scientists. We were visiting one of Maine's first woodland owners to enroll in carbon credits. Despite carbon market controversies, I found rural landowners optimistic about their prospects.

For today's Climate Monitor, I wrote about two entrepreneurs who are using Maine seaweed as a substitute for plastic. Check it out, here: themainemonitor.org/entrepreneur...

Today for the Maine Monitor. I wondered why the foliage here in Maine this year has left something to be desired. Drought has played a role. themainemonitor.org/fall-colors-...

Today for Daily Yonder. I spent some time in Brattleboro and Ludlow, Vermont reporting this story on rural disaster recovery amidst a changing FEMA landscape.

This week for @spectrum.ieee.org. Once seen as the darling of U.S. sodium-ion battery startups, Natron Energy folded in September. I dug into what it means for the industry at large as the West seeks to compete with China. spectrum.ieee.org/natron-sodiu...

Last week for the Maine Monitor. Green crabs are an invasive species along the coast. I spoke with entrepreneurs who see an opportunity to use them for crop fertilizer and seafood dishes. themainemonitor.org/green-crab-p...

Bit of a scoop today. Rural and urban organizers are coming together in southern Arizona over concerns about water usage and environmental impacts of a proposed 200-acre aluminum recycling plant.

Had the opportunity to go on @newscentersmaine.bsky.social this week to discuss my recent piece for the Maine Monitor on forest carbon credits. I’ve mentioned before that it’s a wonky topic, but fun to try and flesh out what’s happening in Maine. www.newscentermaine.com/article/news...

On the shores of southern Maine, these oyster fishermen are keeping things quiet. That’s because they’re early adopters of all-electric boats, which are slowly taking off in the U.S. Read @mariagallucci.bsky.social ’s collab with @juliatilton.bsky.social of @dailyyonder.bsky.social

Friday for the Maine Monitor. Forest carbon credits are gaining traction in Maine, but some worry the market is inaccessible for small landowners. I wrote about one startup trying to change that by measuring trees from the sky instead of the ground. themainemonitor.org/how-does-for...

Having the right technology on an aquaculture operation is key to running a successful sea farm, those in Maine’s industry tell me. Published alongside my feature today in @dailyyonder.bsky.social is this video I produced about innovations on Maine’s working waterfront. youtu.be/yrYfUTAxqJ0

Today for the Daily Yonder. I spent time out on the water to report this story on the small but growing group in Maine’s aquaculture industry who are testing electric propulsion. Thanks to @ijnr.bsky.social for a grant award that helped make this story possible.

Friday for the Maine Monitor. Pumped storage hydropower could soon be coming to Maine. It would be the fourth such energy facility in New England and the first in Maine. I wrote about how the so-called "water battery" will work, and where it will go: themainemonitor.org/water-batter...

For me, carbon credits fall into a nebulous corner of the energy world — what, exactly, are they? And can they be legitimate? Earlier this month, I sat down with a forest economist and asked her all of my questions about the carbon credit market and its criticisms. Our conversation is here:

Today for the Daily Yonder. My analysis of Texas Renewables data shows wind, solar, and storage projects that haven’t yet come online are expected to generate $4.7 billion in local tax revenue for rural communities over their lifetimes. The OBBB’s changes to renewable energy policy threatens that.

Today for @spectrum.ieee.org. Latin America’s first hydrogen-powered fuel cell truck has hit the road in Chile, thanks to a partnership with Walmart. The challenge now lies in building infrastructure to fuel the trucks along the country’s mountainous terrain. spectrum.ieee.org/hydrogen-fue...

Last week I set out to understand whether recent great white shark sightings in the Gulf of Maine are connected to climate change. Turns out, the presence of the animals in northern New England waters are a sign of a healthy ecosystem. Friday's story: themainemonitor.org/should-maine...

Today for @dailyyonder.bsky.social. I spoke with community members in Kipnuk, AK and Clinchco, VA about their decision to sue the EPA over the cancellation of federal funding to mitigate erosion and flooding. Without the money, these rural areas can't afford to carry out the projects on their own.

Changes to renewable energy tax incentives put at least 271 planned rural wind and solar projects in 40 states at risk, I found in an analysis for @dailyyonder.bsky.social. That’s enough generating capacity to power 14 million homes. dailyyonder.com/energy-cuts-...

Last week for the Maine Monitor. Though federal EV tax incentives end Sept. 30, Maine’s state-level rebates remain largely unchanged. themainemonitor.org/buying-elect...

Today for @spectrum.ieee.org Radioactive nuclear waste has long been seen as a liability. Increasingly, though, the 90,000-ton stockpile in the U.S. is being viewed as a potential resource, thanks to new transformation techniques and federal policy directives. spectrum.ieee.org/nuclear-wast...

This map of fast EV charging ports in America reveals some big gaps between rural and urban areas:

This rural community fought one of the country’s biggest gas-powered data centers — and won. Inside the grassroots opposition that fended off a 2,200-acre data center campus in southern Virginia, and why their struggle isn’t over yet. grist.org/energy/this-... #Climate #Energy #DataCenter #AI