Microsoft is considering ending its clean energy goal in Virginia. The company is planning to build data centers in Mecklenburg and Prince William counties, which would more than triple the company’s statewide employee count to 2,042 by the end of the year. The Virginia Clean Economy Act's goal to decarbonize the state's grid by mid-century is in question.
Virginia State Sen. Louise Lucas had an FBI raid on her private business and her district office. The raid came on the heels of her push to redistrict Virginia in favor of Democrats. Lucas is arguably the most powerful politician in Virginia, holding the purse as the chair of the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee. She is in Northern Virginia on a rare statewide tour in the ongoing battle over data centers. The data center industry has long enjoyed a sales tax exemption that Senate Democrats said is costing the state nearly $2 billion in tax money every year. House Democrats and the governor want to keep the exemption in place.
U.S. LNG exports are up 11.9% from the previous week. The Ras Laffan damage and the Strait of Hormuz shipping disruption are making it harder to find alternative cargoes from Qatar. Production is still running strong at 111.7 bcf per day, up 4.2% year-over-year.