Abortion Travel Bans, Texas Crypto Gridlock, and Indiana’s Data Center Deal
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** CfA's June 14, 2024 Newsletter
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With your support, Campaign for Accountability is working to expose corruption and hold the powerful accountable.
** This Week's Updates:
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How Abortion Travel Restrictions Impact At-Risk Youth
On Wednesday, the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Federal Courts, Oversight, Agency Action, and Federal Rights held a hearing ([link removed]) on abortion bans and travel restrictions, which have already been passed in some local jurisdictions ([link removed].) . While laws restricting travel are likely unconstitutional ([link removed]) , anti-abortion advocates have begun reframing ([link removed]) them as “abortion trafficking” laws, in order to punish unrelated adults who help minors access abortion care. In practice, these laws would make it incredibly difficult for teenage girls to terminate unwanted pregnancies
without their guardian’s consent.
Before Dobbs, approximately 25,000 minors received abortions each year. Now, an increasingly large percentage of those minors are unable to access prescription contraceptives ([link removed]) , comprehensive sex education ([link removed]) , or abortions. These challenges are particularly significant for foster youth in states with travel restrictions, who are both more likely ([link removed]) to become pregnant than their peers and may not have a parent or guardian available to help them find an abortion provider. In many states, foster youth must receive a judge’s permission ([link removed]) for an abortion, adding a daunting barrier to an already difficult process. The addition of travel restrictions
will only make this problem worse, isolating minors from their existing support systems and cutting them off from the care that they need.
Texas Power Grid Demand Expected to Double by 2030
In a Wednesday hearing ([link removed]) , experts from The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) told lawmakers that they expected the state’s power demand to double ([link removed]) in the next six years, putting more pressure on an already-strained grid. Some of this increase can be attributed to the expansion of existing industries, but a whopping 60% of new demand comes from crypto mining operations and data centers, which require immense amounts of power to run specialized computers. Of course, this kind of growth doesn’t happen in a vacuum. Texas has created strong incentives for the crypto mining industry, including discounted electricity rates ([link removed]) and tax breaks
([link removed]) . The expansion of generative AI, meanwhile, has fueled demand ([link removed]) for sprawling data centers capable of providing computing power to consumers around the world. ERCOT, which operates Texas’s power grid, eventually launched a “demand response program ([link removed]) ” that allowed crypto mines to sell energy back to the grid during times of intense need – at the expense of normal ratepayers. CfA’s Tech Transparency Project (TTP) investigated this arrangement in a 2022 report ([link removed]) , reviewing SEC filings, public utility commission records, industry publications, social media posts, and data from Texas energy authorities.
This week, ERCOT’s new predictions and the possibility of rolling blackouts ([link removed]) have made some Texas lawmakers rethink their state’s relationship with datacenters and the crypto industry. On top of their high energy use, many crypto mining initiatives have failed to deliver promised jobs and revenue, as another TTP report ([link removed]) found. Some elected officials have begun asking questions ([link removed]) about transparency, because ERCOT lacks accurate information about the number of crypto mines in Texas or the amount of power they use. The industry has opposed
([link removed]) other efforts to monitor its energy use, claiming the information is proprietary and that their sector had been unfairly singled out.
WATCH NOW: TTP Director Katie Paul Discusses Social Media and Terrorism with the GWU Program on Extremism
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Indiana Woos Data Centers, Crypto Mines with Generous Incentives
Five years ago, Indiana lawmakers created tax incentives ([link removed]) for data centers, hoping to lure companies with low energy costs and generous subsidies. While progress was initially slow, the expansion of generative AI has created new demand for computing power, and multiple tech giants are currently planning ([link removed]) to open facilities in the state. Indiana is already home to large crypto mines, which are a type of data center, and the facilities have extended a lifeline to polluting coal plants ([link removed]) that would have otherwise been shut down. Lawmakers have assured ([link removed]) potential investors that Indiana has “ample amounts” of reliable, affordable electricity,
but consumer advocates are concerned ([link removed]) that costs could be shifted to other ratepayers.
Companies like Microsoft ([link removed]) , Google ([link removed]) , and Amazon ([link removed]) have already announced billion-dollar projects in the state, promising to bring jobs and boost local economies. In some areas, though, residents have pushed back on the construction of data centers, citing concerns about their impact on the environment and home values. Just this week, a property developer withdrew ([link removed]) its application for a data center located on the grounds of a former golf course in northwestern Indiana, where it would have been surrounded by suburban homes. In the nearby town of New Carlisle, though, Amazon
is set to proceed ([link removed]) with an $11 billion dollar project – the largest capital investment in Indiana’s history.
What We're Reading
State launches awareness campaign targeting 'misrepresentation' from crisis pregnancy centers ([link removed])
How abortion pill challenges may rise again ([link removed])
Republicans block bill requiring Supreme Court to adopt enforceable ethics code ([link removed])
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Be on the lookout for more updates about our work in the upcoming weeks. Thanks again for signing up to be a part of CfA!
Sincerely,
Michelle Kuppersmith
Executive Director, Campaign for Accountability
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