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Geek Wire
5 days ago
- Business
- Geek Wire
Trump's mega bill blasted by Washington leaders: Clean energy cuts threaten AI boom, hike costs
Participants in a Seattle roundtable on the Republican-led repeal of clean energy tax credits, from left: Gregg Small, executive director of Climate Solutions; Brandon Provalenko, general manager of Western Solar; Sen. Patty Murray; Dawn Lindell, CEO of Seattle City Light; Joe Nguyen, director of the Washington State Department of Commerce; and Christine Reid, political director of IBEW Local 77. The event was held July 25 at the Seattle City Light Denny Substation. (GeekWire Photo / Lisa Stiffler) As energy demand spikes due to AI-driven data center expansions and the shift to electrification of transportation and other sectors, a sweeping bill signed this month by President Trump cuts resources for deploying renewable power, Washington state leaders said Friday. Washington Sen. Patty Murray convened a roundtable in Seattle on Friday to highlight the potential energy impacts of the 'Big Beautiful Bill' and issue a call to action. She warned of rising utility costs for businesses and residents and lost jobs in the energy sector. 'It's going to set us back in terms of our access to clean energy,' Murray said. 'It's so important that people know why this is coming and that we continue to raise our voices to fight back.' Joe Nguyen, director of the state's Department of Commerce, was blunt in his criticism of the bill in a GeekWire interview following the roundtable. 'This is a direct attack on tech,' Nguyen said. 'Without clean energy, we don't have technology.' That's particularly true, he added, as companies such as Amazon and Microsoft are building out capacity to meet AI demands. The Pacific Northwest is already home to numerous data center facilities, with plans to build more. In Washington alone, the Republican-backed bill could decrease electric capacity by 18 gigawatts over the next decade — or the equivalent of two Seattles' worth of energy — said Gregg Small, executive director of Climate Solutions, speaking at the event. Commerce Director Joe Nguyen addresses Sen. Patty Murray during the roundtable on clean energy. (GeekWire Photo / Lisa Stiffler) The legislation repeals tax cuts for renewable power efforts including wind and solar installations that were included in the Democrats' 2022 Inflation Reduction Act. At the same time, the GOP measure bolsters support for fossil fuel power. President Trump staunchly defends the nixing of benefits for wind and solar, calling the intermittent power sources 'unreliable,' and even some critics of the president acknowledge that tax cuts for renewable power should phase out over time. Others say the support makes sense to get new energy deployed as quickly as possible. Renewable power made up 93% of the U.S. energy capacity that came online last year. 'Even if you're pro-fossil fuels, pro-coal, that is very expensive and it takes a long time to build. And also, the market is not demanding that right now,' Nguyen told GeekWire. The data center tech giants — also called hyperscalers — are seeking clean power sources given that they've set ambitious goals for shrinking their carbon impacts. The AI boom is making it increasingly difficult to reach their targets, with Microsoft and Amazon both reporting rising carbon emissions. At the same time, Trump this week announced his 'AI Action Plan' to accelerate data center growth in the U.S. and support America's leadership in AI. Clean energy advocates say there's a disconnect between those ambitions and policy that limits options for new power. 'For us to be leaders in that [AI] space, it requires hyperscalers. It requires energy for those hyperscalers,' Nguyen said. 'So limiting the amount of energy we can produce is counterintuitive in terms of trying to be a dominant player in the AI space.'
Boston Globe
6 days ago
- Business
- Boston Globe
Ahead of shutdown deadline, Democrats face a dilemma on spending
Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Republicans pushed through legislation this month Advertisement 'It is no secret the path to advancing more of our bills is going to be harder because of the unprecedented, partisan rescissions bill that Republicans just passed,' said Sen. Patty Murray of Washington, the top Democrat on the Appropriations Committee. 'It is extremely frustrating to see so many of the colleagues that have worked with us to pass funding bills turn around and vote to rip away the funding that we all agreed on.' Advertisement Russell Vought, the director of the Office of Management and Budget, told reporters recently that the appropriations process 'has to be less bipartisan,' infuriating Democrats who said the comment poisoned the well as they worked with Republicans to put together spending bills. Because those bills must pass to keep the government running, spending deals have historically been bipartisan products that can draw enough support to clear a Senate filibuster, forcing lawmakers in both parties to set aside their most incendiary proposals and broker a compromise. In a blowout 90-8 vote this week, most Senate Democrats voted to open floor debate on the chamber's first spending bill of the year, a typically less contentious measure covering military construction projects and veterans programs. Some other less divisive bills could potentially be added to the package. But Democrats are keeping a close eye on Republicans and the White House. In a sign of their wariness about the coming funding fight, House and Senate Democratic leaders and senior Democratic members of the Appropriations Committee from both chambers met privately in Schumer's office this week to plot and make sure they were on the same page. For now, Democrats appear ready to let the process play out. Murray called some of the initial spending bills advancing through the Senate 'solid, compromise bills that reject the truly draconian cuts proposed by President Trump and House Republicans.' 'No one wants a shutdown, and the way we avoid that shutdown is by working together,' she said. Advertisement A major priority for Democrats is winning assurances from Senate Republicans that they will not again agree to allow the Trump administration to cancel spending after Congress approves the bills. Without some commitment in place, Democrats say it is uncertain whether they can back the spending measures. 'It is not clear to me there is a way to get over that hurdle,' said Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., a member of the Appropriations Committee. At the same time, House Republicans are advancing funding bills setting drastically lower spending levels than their counterparts in the Senate. Republicans on the Appropriations Committee in that chamber this week approved a spending bill that would slash the budget for foreign aid and the State Department by 22%. Still, some conservatives in the House have complained the spending bills they are advancing do not do enough to cut spending. The foreign aid bill provided billions more for some international programs than the president had requested, and rejected his calls to gut global broadcasting initiatives. 'I like the president's budget; I think he did a good job with it,' said Rep. Andrew Clyde of Georgia, a Republican on the appropriations panel. 'I think we should hold to those levels.' House Republicans on the committee also voted to strip out a provision they had included in the measure that would have made it more difficult for the White House to cancel spending in the future. With a potential funding impasse coming this fall, Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., the majority leader, has already begun the political effort to pin the blame on Democrats if the government shuts down. Thune, who has pledged to bring spending bills to the floor after Democrats refused to do so in recent years, shrugged off Democratic worries over the administration cuts. Advertisement 'The Democrats have indicated, because they're so upset over the rescissions bill last week -- which, by the way, cut one-tenth of 1% of all federal spending -- that somehow they can use that as an excuse to shut down the appropriations process and therefore shut down the government,' he said. 'We think that would be a big mistake, and hopefully they will think better of it and work with us.' This article originally appeared in .
CTV News
23-07-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Senator says U.S. tariffs from Trump White House damaging for Washington state
President Donald Trump speaks after signing an executive order in the Oval Office of the White House Wednesday, April 9, 2025, in Washington. (Pool via AP) Opponents from Washington state of U.S. President Donald Trump's tariff threats against Canada are vowing to fight, saying the ongoing trade war has delivered a heavy blow to American border communities. In a conference call led by Democrat U.S. Senator Patty Murray that included British Columbia Premier David Eby, Murray said regions such as Whatcom County bordering Canada get about 12 per cent of taxable retail income from Canadian consumers. Murray said the drop in Canadian tourists visiting her state has also resulted in economic uncertainty among ferry operators and in Point Roberts, where residents cannot access the U.S. mainland without travelling through Canada. Eby said it is difficult to continue asking British Columbians to keep their money in Canada but the U.S. boycotts are necessary in the trade war despite circumstances being 'miserable' on both sides of the border. Earlier this week, Eby responded to statements by the U.S. Ambassador to Canada who called Canadians mean and nasty over their travel and alcohol boycott, saying Canadians would be 'proud' to be considered mean for standing up for their sovereignty. Edmund Schweitzer, founder of Washington-based digital device maker Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, said during the conference call that his company is predicting the tariffs will cost it US$100 million in 'unanticipated federal taxes.' Schweitzer said that means each of the 7,000 employees who co-own the company will take a financial hit of US$14,000 from the tariffs. 'President Trump seems to have created the 51st state that he was talking about, which is the great state of uncertainty,' he said Wednesday. 'And this is affecting all of us.' Murray said she is working in the U.S. Congress to bring Democrats and Republicans to join in the fight to wrestle back the power to set tariffs from the White House and urges other Americans to join the cause. 'Who is responsible for this, and we all need to remember this, is the president of the United States who started this,' Murray said. 'We are raising our voices to say, 'Enough is enough … stop this.' B.C. is among several Canadian provinces that banned the sale of U.S. alcohol from government-run stores after the trade war began, and industry groups say such sales in Canada have fallen sharply in March and April. Statistics Canada figures show the number of Canadians returning home by car from south of the border fell to just over 33 per cent in June compared with the same period last year, and return trips by air fell to just over 22 per cent during the same period. 'No one wants this,' Murray said of the falling numbers and economic uncertainty. 'We did not ask for this. It's been imposed on us. And I think that the premier is making it clear he has to make it painful for the United States. 'That doesn't change our relationship with British Columbia. We've always been friends, allies. We have had challenges in the past, but we talk to each other. We work through it, and that's what we both want at the end of this.' This report by Chuck Chiang, The Canadian Press, was first published July 23, 2025.
Toronto Star
23-07-2025
- Business
- Toronto Star
Senator says U.S. tariffs from Trump White House damaging for Washington state
Opponents from Washington state of U.S. President Donald Trump's tariff threats against Canada are vowing to fight, saying the ongoing trade war has delivered a heavy blow to American border communities. In a conference call led by Democrat U.S. Senator Patty Murray that included British Columbia Premier David Eby, Murray said regions such as Whatcom County bordering Canada get about 12 per cent of taxable retail income from Canadian consumers.
Yahoo
23-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Senator says U.S. tariffs from Trump White House damaging for Washington state
Opponents from Washington state of U.S. President Donald Trump's tariff threats against Canada are vowing to fight, saying the ongoing trade war has delivered a heavy blow to American border communities. In a conference call led by Democrat U.S. Senator Patty Murray that included British Columbia Premier David Eby, Murray said regions such as Whatcom County bordering Canada get about 12 per cent of taxable retail income from Canadian consumers. Murray said the drop in Canadian tourists visiting her state has also resulted in economic uncertainty among ferry operators and in Point Roberts, where residents cannot access the U.S. mainland without travelling through Canada. Eby said it is difficult to continue asking British Columbians to keep their money in Canada but the U.S. boycotts are necessary in the trade war despite circumstances being "miserable" on both sides of the border. Earlier this week, Eby responded to statements by the U.S. Ambassador to Canada who called Canadians mean and nasty over their travel and alcohol boycott, saying Canadians would be "proud" to be considered mean for standing up for their sovereignty. Edmund Schweitzer, founder of Washington-based digital device maker Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, said during the conference call that his company is predicting the tariffs will cost it US$100 million in "unanticipated federal taxes." Schweitzer said that means each of the 7,000 employees who co-own the company will take a financial hit of US$14,000 from the tariffs. "President Trump seems to have created the 51st state that he was talking about, which is the great state of uncertainty," he said Wednesday. "And this is affecting all of us." Murray said she is working in the U.S. Congress to bring Democrats and Republicans to join in the fight to wrestle back the power to set tariffs from the White House and urges other Americans to join the cause. "Who is responsible for this, and we all need to remember this, is the president of the United States who started this," Murray said. "We are raising our voices to say, 'Enough is enough … stop this." B.C. is among several Canadian provinces that banned the sale of U.S. alcohol from government-run stores after the trade war began, and industry groups say such sales in Canada have fallen sharply in March and April. Statistics Canada figures show the number of Canadians returning home by car from south of the border fell to just over 33 per cent in June compared with the same period last year, and return trips by air fell to just over 22 per cent during the same period. "No one wants this," Murray said of the falling numbers and economic uncertainty. "We did not ask for this. It's been imposed on us. And I think that the premier is making it clear he has to make it painful for the United States. "That doesn't change our relationship with British Columbia. We've always been friends, allies. We have had challenges in the past, but we talk to each other. We work through it, and that's what we both want at the end of this." This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 23, 2025. Chuck Chiang, The Canadian Press Sign in to access your portfolio
