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House Natural Resources hearing divides on using federal lands and coal to power AI and data centers
Summary
At a House Natural Resources subcommittee hearing, witnesses and members debated whether federal lands should be used to supply the large amounts of electricity that artificial intelligence and large-scale data centers may require, with industry witnesses advocating for expanded federal coal leasing and permitting reform and conservation groups warning of pollution, water use and threats to national parks.
At a House Natural Resources subcommittee hearing, witnesses and members debated whether federal lands should be used to supply the large amounts of electricity that artificial intelligence and large-scale data centers may require, with industry witnesses advocating for expanded federal coal leasing and permitting reform and conservation groups warning of pollution, water use and threats to national parks.
The debate opened with Chairman Gosar stressing the need to "unleash American energy independence" to keep the United States competitive in AI and technology. "AI is the next foundational layer," said Greg Osuri, founder and CEO of Overclock Labs/Akash Network, arguing that U.S. leadership requires expanded power availability and flexible siting for distributed computing.
The hearing highlighted sharply different policy prescriptions. Emily Arthur, chief executive of the American Coal Council, urged greater access to federal coal and lower federal royalty rates, arguing federal coal provides "the consistent energy supply necessary to maintain…
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