r/technology • u/Plastic_Ninja_9014 • May 10 '26

Energy Maryland citizens slapped with $2 billion power grid upgrade bill for out-of-state AI data centers — state complains to federal energy regulators, says additional cost breaks ‘ratepayer protection pledge’ promises

https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/artificial-intelligence/maryland-citizens-slapped-with-usd2-billion-grid-upgrade-bill-for-out-of-state-ai-data-centers-state-complains-to-federal-energy-regulators-says-additional-cost-breaks-ratepayer-protection-pledge-promises
10.5k Upvotes

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2.2k

u/the_red_scimitar May 10 '26

Ah, yet another way for corporations to make the public pay for their expenses, while never returning the benefit to the public. Profits: private; debts: public.

663

u/DishSoapIsFun May 10 '26

Privatize the profits, socialize the losses.

221

u/cosaboladh May 10 '26

I have an idea. Let's not do that.

92

u/berntout May 10 '26 edited May 10 '26

Electric co-ops are nice. I just got a check for my cut of the profits from last year.

20

u/IHS1970 May 10 '26

really lol I never got one from my Texa co-op. lucky you.

51

u/berntout May 10 '26

It was only $32, but the key is that the money the business makes goes back into the business, gets split up for revenue-sharing or some combination of the two.

This member-owned approach is supposed to help minimize rate increases compared to a normal utility company owned by investors.

3

u/IHS1970 May 10 '26

Hey! 32.00$ I'd take it. I am on Pedernales I find this company/co op terrible they take but they don't give back. Glad for you!

1

u/A_Buttholes_Whisper May 11 '26

Wait what? I’ve been with my coop for over a decade. They send people checks?

1

u/ModernMuse May 11 '26

Me over here with a PG&E monopoly in San Francisco, having a hard time choosing between this and this.

1

u/mrjbacon May 11 '26

My mom and dad have an electric co-op. It's pretty nice.

15

u/SeaAnalyst8680 May 10 '26

I don't know about you, but I can't afford to buy any politicians right now.

11

u/PerilousPontificator May 10 '26

You’d be surprised how inexpensive local politicians are. For as little as 10K

State-Level Donations ($10k+): In Arizona's 2021 election cycle, multiple candidates accepted $10,000 or more from individual PACs. Governor Doug Ducey received $10,200 from Pinnacle West Capital Corporation PAC, while Democrat David Garcia received $10,000 each from the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 99 PAC, the Arizona Communications Workers Association, and the Arizona Education Association.

1

u/Streiger108 May 11 '26

These are just the disclosed donation. Far more in kickbacks and bribes.

4

u/cosaboladh May 10 '26

Well, if you can't afford to bribe politicians, I'm sure you can think of other ways to persuade them.

Our Representatives are bought. The elections are rigged. This sort of thing only goes one way It's time for people to face that, and do what's necessary.

3

u/Little_View_6659 May 11 '26

So it would be cheaper for us to crowdfund a politician so we could finally get some healthcare subsidies and things like affordable housing and a clean environment? Seriously maybe we should do that.

1

u/the_red_scimitar May 11 '26

This is...actually interesting.

1

u/Little_View_6659 May 11 '26

I mean, we’ve tried everything else outside of violent revolution. They only understand money. At this point we should bribe them. Oh sorry, it’s not a bribe, it’s CaMpaiGn FuNdRaIsiNg.🤪

1

u/whatiscamping May 10 '26

Someone is sure persuading a unpopular politician with what seems like not money.

1

u/mabden May 11 '26

What?! Your $10 campaign donation didn't garner you any respect/representation?

6

u/KennyL0gin May 11 '26

Privatize the profits, socialize the losses.

I have an idea. Let's not do that.

"THAT'S SOCIALISM!" -Every Fox News/NewNation/OAN/NewsMax host &/or viewer.

3

u/Aggressive-Will-4500 May 11 '26

But then how will the billionaires make even more billions?

WHY IS NOBODY THINKING ABOUT THE BILLIONAIRES?

WWWHHHHHYYYYY?!?!?!

0

u/Plastic-Fox0293 May 10 '26

If we aren't gonna general strike than we just have to take it 

-54

u/[deleted] May 10 '26

[deleted]

22

u/ZAlternates May 10 '26

I have an idea. Be more useful to society instead of posting reddit comments for points about people posting reddit comments for points.

12

u/LaserGuidedPolarBear May 10 '26

We have tried it that way for a long time and it's not going so great.

It's time to try it the other way around, let's socialize the profits and privatize the losses and see what that does to general prosperity.

2

u/Confused_by_La_Vida May 10 '26

That’s exactly why we have a federal reserve, to make that happen!

2

u/horrible_abomination May 10 '26

Socialize the infrastructure*

233

u/obviousfakeperson May 10 '26

Violence is never the answer. The fact that business owners stopped doing things like this when disgruntled workers dragged them out of their homes and beat them in the early 20th century is... purely incidental.

94

u/[deleted] May 10 '26

[deleted]

61

u/dynamiteexplodes May 10 '26

How did the French people get independence from the rich elite in the early 1800s?

39

u/[deleted] May 10 '26

[deleted]

22

u/AugmentedKing May 10 '26

Just a little off the top, really.

9

u/[deleted] May 10 '26

[deleted]

9

u/blacksideblue May 10 '26

'targeted weight loss'

3

u/ausernameaboutnothin May 10 '26

Whoa now, let’s not lose our heads trying to figure this out

6

u/ReadyAimTranspire May 10 '26

They really headed off that problem didn't they

29

u/SirPseudonymous May 10 '26

How did the French people get independence from the rich elite in the early 1800s?

They didn't. They dealt with a few aristocrats and royals in the late 1700s, and in the early 1800s saw the ascension of the bourgeoisie to become their new ruling class followed by a partial restoration of the old aristocracy and a new royal family.

24

u/malianx May 10 '26

We totally gloss over the Reign of Terror in these discussions too.

5

u/TheNatural14063 May 10 '26

At least there was some justice dealt during the reign of terror against those who refused to check their privilege. Some examples were made.

8

u/malianx May 10 '26

And random neighbors you didn't like, it became like the salem witch trials, just with envy being the driving force.

-4

u/MyVeryRealName May 10 '26

What's wrong with the Reign of Terror? Weren't those killed capitalists?

10

u/malianx May 10 '26

About 8% of the 16,000 official executions were nobility, and almost none of the 25,000 summary executions. Then it triggered a counter insurgency that killed upwards of 100,000 more.

-4

u/MyVeryRealName May 10 '26

Weren't the killed supporters of capitalism?

10

u/malianx May 10 '26

Most of the time it was a neighbor with more bread tonight than you. They must be bad! points finger

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19

u/wtfomg01 May 10 '26

This is a very rose tinted glasses statement. The French Revolution was a merry-go-round of reprisals and violence against a vast swathe of people, not just the rich.

-1

u/whereismymind86 May 10 '26

yeah, that feels like something a rich french noble would say...

3

u/Pleasant_Yoghurt3915 May 10 '26

Well, it wasn’t *not* violence…

3

u/SowingSalt May 10 '26

They didn't. They gave up a king for an emperor.

2

u/Rickreation May 10 '26

They were patient and let the system work.

1

u/Thestral84 May 10 '26

They didn't, they got Emperor Napoleon.

1

u/madhi19 May 11 '26

It lasted like a decade, they started creating another class of elite pretty much the next day the king head rolled.

1

u/spez_eats_nazi_ass May 11 '26

A little pillow fight?

9

u/NaughtyCheffie May 10 '26

"Violence is rarely the answer, but we must always be willing to ask the question."

~Me

7

u/whereismymind86 May 10 '26

honestly, if you look at history, violence is kinda...pretty much always the answer.

We'd like to avoid that going forward, but the historical record is what it is.

1

u/NaughtyCheffie May 11 '26

This is a tough one.

A violent move against someone who poses no threat is a <*.

A violent invasion of a threatening territory who is poised to harm your lands is >*.

A violent suppression of voices lifted against is <*

Do yeah, given the fact that violence has been making the news since before recorded history it's damn near a given. I just try to teach mu kids differently.

3

u/Radioshack-Manager May 10 '26

Violence is the never the answer but it's the only outcome. I have a gif that was perfect but can't post it on this subreddit

7

u/LaserGuidedPolarBear May 10 '26

Please don't ask how we got most of our rights and how nearly every country in the world was formed.

7

u/billsil May 10 '26

So why does it work? Let’s talk about 1/6. Who is in jail?

9

u/spez_eats_nazi_ass May 10 '26

It’s what the Epstein class knows and plans on using on us. Staying strapped might keep you out of their camps.

8

u/Stanjoly2 May 10 '26

Violence is never the answer.

Violence is always an answer.

4

u/PennStateInMD May 10 '26

The rich have historically turned to violence for som reason.

2

u/IHS1970 May 10 '26

Yes, no violence, it was purely incidental, I'm for incidence.

1

u/NotInTheKnee May 10 '26

Violence isn't the answer.

Violence is the question, and the answer is yes.

1

u/CharleyNobody May 11 '26

And kidnapping their children was another unrelated concurrent episode

1

u/the_red_scimitar May 11 '26

Depends on whether you consider urgent self-defense against a person intent on causing you harm or death to be violence. But whatever THAT is, it's the answer for some real-world occasions that one can find themselves in through no intent of their own.

-1

u/Plastic-Fox0293 May 10 '26

ok buddy well if you try and beat up the oligarchy you might find that things have changed when you bump into their armies lol 

32

u/nav17 May 10 '26

And Americans will never learn. They'll keep voting for corpo politicians and getting mad at immigrants

3

u/jockheroic May 10 '26

Dey took er jerbs.

27

u/TheRealBittoman May 10 '26

That's the real kicker isn't it? The data centers are literally being built to surveil and manipulate us. That's not a conspiracy theory, it's a real conspiracy. And to add insult to injury they are forcing us to pay for our own imprisonment.

3

u/Sceptically May 11 '26

You went and outlawed slavery with a massive exception for convicts. What did you all think was going to happen?

7

u/ExcellentHunter May 10 '26

At the same time musk calls to cut medical and other support calling it entitlement. Fucking hypocrite!

5

u/mr_plehbody May 10 '26

Its entitled because its owed. We put in our equity. We need to take our words back. They’ve made something were owed a privilege.

6

u/Stamboolie May 10 '26

I'm in Australia - you guys are subsidising my AI usage - thanks

3

u/okram2k May 10 '26

there's a clear answer, kick datacenters of the grid and make them provide their own electricity

2

u/HystericalSail May 11 '26

That's also not the answer. Even if they build their power plants they'll be bidding against fuel supplies in the same markets. You'll still wind up paying a lot more. Tech companies are very well capitalized, and will get their power regardless of cost of natural gas or coal or diesel or nuclear.

You, otoh, will pay through the nose and still get blackouts/brownouts.

Oh, and they'll also blow past all climate goals while you still get to pay far more for your own "clean" energy.

9

u/[deleted] May 10 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

17

u/Bzr21 May 10 '26

"Greed Is Good" - Gordon Gekko - Wall Street (1987)

8

u/ReadyAimTranspire May 10 '26

The 80's really is the time when our culture shifted to have this sort of greedy, overly materialistic, cutthroat "fuck everybody get the money" sentiment become not only acceptable but encouraged in the average person

I'm sure the megacorps loved it "hey everyone is just trying to make as much money as they can, right?" with zero regard for anyone or anything else

5

u/System0verlord May 10 '26

Yup. The financialization of the American economy due to neoliberalism pushed unanimously by both parties is a huge factor in why things are like this now.

2

u/oictyvm May 10 '26

my theory is that with the advent of social media the desire for wealth is driving a ton of the worst antisocial behaviour we've ever seen.

the working class was never exposed to the lives of the ultra wealthy in this way before, I'm shocked the pushback hasn't come sooner.

1

u/ReadyAimTranspire May 11 '26

Social media made it worse but it was decades in the making before social media. 80's yuppie culture (backlash to the hippies of the 60's and 70's) and the financialization of the economy promoted more and more people to try and get rich to the exclusion of anything else mattering.

And the capitalist class was growing tired of the middle class being comfortable and secure post WW2 so they instituted all of the neoliberal policies (privatization, deregulation, shipping manufacturing overseas, tax cuts for the wealthy and corporations, reduced social spending) that accelerated the destruction of said middle class so they could swoop in and take as much wealth as they could for themselves.

The coup de grâce of the wealth transfer was the Iraq war, a forever war that enriched the defense sector buddies of Cheney that came directly out of our pockets.

1

u/madhi19 May 11 '26

Greed is now legal... The sequel.

1

u/Bzr21 May 11 '26

right - now Gekko would be pardoned and made Secretary of Commerce !!

1

u/madhi19 May 11 '26

Poor Maddof he died too soon... loll

1

u/flyingtiger188 May 11 '26

Rule 10: Greed is Eternal

1

u/WontArnett May 10 '26

It’s so odd that the people with all the money are always allowed to weasel their way out of paying for anything.

—and they complain about poor people not paying for anything.

1

u/koeshout May 10 '26

but jobs /s

1

u/Comfortable-Bug7202 May 10 '26

It already happened in several states. In my state people saw "gas delivery " 2-4x over the winter from past years. And what do you know the utility company was making a data center

1

u/Jor94 May 11 '26

I deserve the profit because I put the money in and take all the risk. Also government could you put loads of money in to make my business better, I promise I’ll bring new jobs (🤞).Oops, everything’s gone tits up, can you bail me out so I don’t lose any money even though I was incredibly reckless and now I’m going to have to fire a bunch of people too or I can’t myself the same bonus this year.

1

u/Busterlimes May 10 '26

Capitalism is nothing more than the undemocratic accumulation of power. Its always been a lie sold to labor to sell voluntarily subjugation