Brian Eckhouse
@brianreports.bsky.social
Head of Bloomberg’s power, weather and natural disasters Americas team | Dad/concierge to a loquacious toddler | New Yorker in Los Angeles | Thoughts on the Mets and bagels mine and mine alone
How much water do data centers really use, why do they use so much, and is it a problem? I talked to researchers and industry experts to understand the true water footprint of the AI boom: Gift link: www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Why Do Data Centers Use So Much Fresh Water?
The artificial intelligence boom has inspired one of the largest infrastructure build-outs seen in decades: Tech firms are investing billions into constructing the data centers powering AI. This has m...
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Wildfire smoke in NY. Flooding in Texas. Climate risk is turning insurance into a political fight. @leslieatlarge.bsky.social and I spoke with Jane Kim and Ben Allen, top contenders to regulate CA’s $15B home insurance market. Gift link: www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
California Rivals Have Starkly Different Plans to Remake Home Insurance
Ben Allen and Jane Kim are running to be the state’s next insurance commissioner. Both promise change, but not along the same lines.
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El Niño has arrived - and it's on track to be a big one. From transatlantic flight times to Panama Canal shipping delays, to the cost of a candy bar or even just a bottle of soap, its effects can pop up all over the economy. (gift link) www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
El Niño Slams Into a Global Economy Unprepared for More Chaos
Scientists warn a blockbuster weather event risks pushing costs higher for everything from building materials to groceries.
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⚡ The AI data center boom in the US is threatening to claim its biggest victim yet — the nation’s largest electric grid operator. ⚡ In an explosive speech, the FERC chair said it may have grown "too big to function." 🎁Gift link to our deep dive below 🎁 www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
AI Data Center Boom Risks Breakup of Biggest US Power Grid Operator
Soaring utility bills and sluggish bureaucracy are fueling calls to split up PJM Interconnection, which runs the grid in 13 states.
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Artificial intelligence data centers are on the verge of reaching their limits. That’s forcing a reckoning among hyperscalers, data center operators, chip makers and power equipment producers. As they scale up, they are having to reimagine how data centers are designed, built and powered. 🎁 link:
The Race to Rethink Data Centers for AI’s Power Surge
With energy demand already straining infrastructure, AI players are reimagining the data center from the ground up.
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It's not just you: Groceries are getting more expensive. And that's before prices reflect the full effects of the Iran war and a strong El Niño on the horizon (gift link) www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Americans Are About to Pay Even More at the Grocery Store
As Americans confront a surge in prices at the pump, another inflation wave is headed for the grocery store.
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Everyone's talking about what it means for the data center boom. But with its deal to buy Dominion, NextEra is also picking up territory in states where extreme weather has caused more than $57 billion in damage over the last 5 years (gift link) www.bloomberg.com/news/newslet...
NextEra’s Dominion Deal Expands Its Storm Risk
The utility giant is expanding into some of the US’ costliest weather zones.
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Friday afternoon scoop 👇 About $50 billion in wind investments and 150,000 jobs are imperiled by the Trump administration’s effective halt to approvals for new onshore projects, according to a trade group report reviewed by Bloomberg News. www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Wind-Permit Stall Is Threatening $50 Billion in US Developments
About $50 billion in wind investments and 150,000 jobs are imperiled by the Trump administration’s effective halt to approvals for new onshore projects, a trade group said.
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NEWS -> SpaceX is planning to build a massive, 10-gigawatt solar manufacturing facility near Austin as part of Elon Musk’s ambition to power artificial intelligence data centers in space. #solar www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
SpaceX Aims to Build 10-Gigawatt Solar Factory Near Austin
SpaceX is planning to build a massive, 10-gigawatt solar manufacturing facility near Austin as part of Elon Musk’s ambition to power artificial intelligence data centers in space.
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@wsj.com, @cbsnews.com, @bloomberg.com win New York Press Club awards in business journalism: talkingbiznews.com/media-news/w...
Trump's new pick to lead FEMA is a familiar name: Cameron Hamilton. He's the former acting chief who got pushed out last year after telling Congress he didn't think FEMA should be abolished. Instead? He'd favored downsizing it "pretty radically," he later told me and @zhirji.bsky.social 🧵
Cameron Hamilton, Trump's new FEMA pick, has been on both sides of the question over whether the disaster agency should exist. With a rare second chance in Trump's admin, the question is whether the former NAVY seal will defend the agency or further weaken it: www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Can Trump's New FEMA Pick Save the Beleaguered Disaster Agency?
Backers say Cameron Hamilton will bring direction to the agency, but critics question whether he has the experience for its top job.
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The Three Mile Island nuclear plant is poised for a comeback, driven by AI’s massive energy needs -- worked on this one for a long time www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...
The AI Revival of the Three Mile Island Nuclear Plant
Microsoft’s vast power demands are bringing together two transformative—and risky—technologies.
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👋 The US residential #solar industry knew this year would be tough after President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill ended a lucrative homeowner tax break for buying panels. So far, it’s looking even worse than feared. My latest 👇 🎁 Link: www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
The Bust in US Home Solar Has Worsened After Trump Ends Subsidies
The US residential solar industry knew this year would be tough after President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill ended a lucrative homeowner tax break for buying panels.
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BREAKING: President Donald Trump’s task force for reforming the Federal Emergency Management Agency on Thursday recommended sweeping changes to how the federal government responds to natural disasters. Gift link for @bloomberg.com story: www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Trump FEMA Council Backs Sweeping Overhaul of Disaster Response
President Donald Trump’s task force for reforming the Federal Emergency Management Agency on Thursday recommended sweeping changes to how the federal government responds to natural disasters.
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🚨 Job Klaxon 🚨 I’ve moved to the Bloomberg HQ in NYC to start a three-month job posting covering US grids, AI, data centers and more. Let me know if you're in town and want to grab a coffee, or simply to give me your best pizza/bagel/jazz bar recommendation. Back in Brussels in August.
The story of Fermi is in some ways the story of the AI moment: Co-founded by a former Texas governor and a brash entrepreneur, Fermi offered companies racing to build data centers the two things they crave most: open land and an astonishing amount of power.
FEMA said Wednesday it will fund up to $1 billion in disaster-resilient infrastructure under a grant program it had previously canceled and criticized as being wasteful. "Mitigation is back," said former FEMA National Advisory Council member Carrie Speranza. www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
FEMA to Offer $1 Billion Through Embattled Disaster Mitigation Fund
The move comes after a judge ordered the agency to restore the program, which it had cancelled last year.
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Fervo Energy might be the one clean tech startup having a good time in Donald Trump's America. The company's commercial geothermal pilot came online in 2023, just as ChatGPT became a household name and the AI race took off in earnest. And geothermal tax credits have remained intact.
Geothermal Escapes Trump’s Renewable Crackdown, Boosts Fervo’s IPO Bid
Fervo Energy is also benefiting from AI’s ravenous electricity needs as it aims to go public later this year.
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Record heat will bake Los Angeles and the Southwest melting precious snow and setting the stage for a fire summer. CA measures its snow on April 1 to set supplies for the coming year. We will see what is left. #climate #water #california www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Record March Heat to Scorch Los Angeles, US Southwest
An unusually early heat wave is set to grip Los Angeles and much of the Southwest, putting California’s already fragile snowpack, and therefore its water supplies, at risk.
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First ice, then fire: A big blaze at the edge of Florida's Everglades ecosystem has its roots in a recent deep-freeze event, compounded by extensive drought. Gift link 🔗 www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Deep Freeze and Drought Are Fueling a Massive Florida Wildfire
An area larger than Manhattan is on fire near the Everglades, sending plumes of smoke swirling across southern Florida.
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From California to Texas, electric utilities are struggling to manage mounting fire risk in a warming climate. They are spending more than ever before on lawsuits and settlements, as well as on preventative measures, such as undergrounding lines. 1/5
Scoop: The Climate Prediction Center is being folded into other agencies overseen by the National Weather Service The change follows moves by the Trump administration to dismantle climate science programs By @weathersullivan.bsky.social & @laurenthal.bsky.social www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
US Climate Forecaster to Be Absorbed in Weather Agency Reshuffle
The US climate forecasting service will be absorbed into other federal departments as part of a re-organization announced to staff Thursday.
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Why wasn't AI more helpful in predicting this week's giant snowstorm for New York and much of the Northeast? As one scientist put it, "there’s no perfect model yet -- that's the problem." Gift link 🔗 www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
AI Lost Out to Traditional Models in Forecasting NYC's Blizzard
Two days before New York's biggest snowstorm in a decade began, forecasters were still unsure how much snow would fall. One traditional US model had consistently predicted a major hit, while newer art...
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New from me: Big investment banks are hesitant to offer so-called tax-equity financing to wind, solar and battery projects because of uncertainty over new restrictions on ownership ties to China. It's obstacle for the US renewable industry. Gift link: www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
US Clean Energy Deals Face Financing Risk as Big Banks Hold Back
JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Morgan Stanley are among leading investment banks hesitating to provide a critical source of financing for US renewables projects.
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