Energy Law and Electricity Regulation

As AI-driven data centers push electricity demand to unprecedented levels, the race to build digital infrastructure is becoming a race for power itself. Industry experts are now questioning whether aging electric grids can deliver the capacity, reliability, and interconnection speed needed to support next-generation facilities, and whether behind-the-meter solutions can truly replace more than a century of grid engineering and operational experience.

Texas has launched a sweeping investigation into hundreds of data center developments that failed to comply with mandatory water use surveys, marking the latest escalation in a seven-week regulatory crackdown. The state's actions have frozen permits, paused interconnection studies, and exposed projects to criminal and civil enforcement, all while the industry faces mounting scrutiny over its rapidly growing demands on electricity and water infrastructure. With multiple state agencies now coordinating enforc

Texas Governor Greg Abbott has directed state agencies to halt all data center permits until comprehensive audits assess the projects' impacts on electric infrastructure, residential ratepayers, and water resources. The directive requires data centers to fully fund necessary electric infrastructure and comply with enhanced reporting requirements, while the governor signals potential legislative action to codify new protections and phase out certain tax incentives.

Texas has launched a sweeping investigation into hundreds of data center developments that failed to comply with mandatory water use surveys, marking the latest escalation in a seven-week regulatory crackdown. The state's actions have frozen permits, paused interconnection studies, and exposed projects to criminal and civil enforcement, all while the industry faces mounting scrutiny over its rapidly growing demands on electricity and water infrastructure. With multiple state agencies now coordinating enforc

Texas Governor Greg Abbott has directed state agencies to halt all data center permits until comprehensive audits assess the projects' impacts on electric infrastructure, residential ratepayers, and water resources. The directive requires data centers to fully fund necessary electric infrastructure and comply with enhanced reporting requirements, while the governor signals potential legislative action to codify new protections and phase out certain tax incentives.

California has enacted seven new laws that fundamentally reshape how data centers are approved, powered, and supplied with water. These regulations eliminate fast-track environmental approvals, impose mandatory water supply assessments regardless of facility size, and require data centers to bear full grid interconnection costs through special utility tariffs.

US energy and commodity traders expanding into European markets face a significantly more prescriptive regulatory landscape than their domestic framework. This analysis examines how EU and UK wholesale energy market integrity rules impose formalized registration requirements, explicit prohibitions on insider dealing and market manipulation, and heightened senior management accountability standards that exceed US principles-based approaches.

Oilfield service firms responding to the Dallas Fed Energy Survey for the third quarter of 2026 reported substantially broader increases in input costs than in the prices they received. The input-cost index was 60.4, compared with a prices-received index of 16.3. Each index represents the percentage of respondents reporting an increase minus the percentage reporting a decrease.

Sustainable Energy & Infrastructure Connections brings the latest developments in energy investing, legal insights, company activity, and industry events straight to your inbox.

US energy and commodity traders expanding into European markets face a significantly more prescriptive regulatory landscape than their domestic framework. This analysis examines how EU and UK wholesale energy market integrity rules impose formalized registration requirements, explicit prohibitions on insider dealing and market manipulation, and heightened senior management accountability standards that exceed US principles-based approaches.

Sustainable Energy & Infrastructure Connections brings the latest developments in energy investing, legal insights, company activity, and industry events straight to your inbox.

Attorneys Roina Rivera and Hayley O'Neill join hosts Matt Jones and April L. Rolen-Ogden to examine the evolving landscape of pipeline law and safety, discussing key regulatory requirements, recent industry changes, and the legal and practical considerations for navigating pipeline safety and regulatory compliance.