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Reflections Unveiled: Contemporary Portraiture in the Digital Age
Reflections Unveiled: Contemporary Portraiture in the Digital Age explores the dynamic realm of contemporary portraiture in the context of the digital age. In an era characterized by rapid technological advancements, […]
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Still Life of Men by Brenda Gilliam
Over the years Brenda Gilliam has collected thousands of images to use as inspiration for future paintings, grouped by subject matter. These images are comprised of her photos and sketches, […]
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Shinichi Sawada: Agents of Clay
Shinichi Sawada: Agents of Clay is the artist’s first solo museum exhibition in the U.S. For more than two decades, Sawada – who is based in Japan’s Shiga Prefecture – […]
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Ghost Army: The Combat Con Artists of World War II
Ghost Army: The Combat Con Artists of World War II explores the story of the US Army’s 23rd Headquarters Special Troops, a top-secret unit who waged war with inflatable tanks […]
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On This Day, Feb. 5, 1983: Def Leppard’s ‘Pyromania’ makes ‘Billboard’ 200 chart debut
The 1904 World’s Fair Exhibit
The 1904 World’s Fair was a fascinating yet complex event that continues to evoke a range of emotions. It was grand and shameful. It was full of fun and full […]
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Gateway to Pride Exhibit
LGBTQIA+ people have been part of St. Louis from the beginning. But until recently, their lives, struggles, and contributions have often been overlooked. In Gateway to Pride, the Missouri History Museum […]
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The Artist Who Captured Eichmann
Presented by the St. Louis Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum, The Artist Who Captured Eichmann is a captivating temporary exhibition that tells the exciting exploits of Peter Malkin, a Mossad agent […]
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Bolts of Color: Printed Textiles after WWII
With a focus on Britain, Italy and the U.S., Bolts of Color highlights the Saint Louis Art Museum’s recent acquisitions of post-WWII textiles, all made during the height of the […]
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The Work of Art: The Federal Art Project, 1935–1943
The Work of Art: The Federal Art Project, 1935–1943 presents a remarkable group of artworks that reflect the creative efforts of artists working under difficult circumstances. During the Great Depression, […]
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Washington Governor Orders Team to Study Data Centers’ Impact on Energy Use, Job Creation and Tax Revenue
This article was produced for ProPublica’s Local Reporting Network in partnership with The Seattle Times. Sign up for Dispatches to get stories like this one as soon as they are published.
Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson on Tuesday signed an executive order forming a team to evaluate the impact of data centers on energy use, state tax revenue and job creation.
The order follows a Seattle Times-ProPublica investigation last year into the clean-energy and economic impacts of the state’s power-guzzling data center industry, the backbone of the modern internet. Data centers — warehouse-like structures filled with computer servers — receive some of Washington’s largest corporate tax breaks. They require enormous amounts of electricity, a need that is only expected to grow with increasing reliance on artificial intelligence.
“We must ensure Washington remains a leader in technology and sustainability — these experts will help us do that,” Ferguson said in a news release. “This group will help us balance industry growth, tax revenue needs, energy constraints and sustainability.”
Ferguson’s order, one of his earliest actions since he took office this year, authorizes a workgroup of state officials and industry stakeholders to study the impact of data centers and recommend policies that balance industry growth with tax revenue needs, energy constraints and sustainability, according to the executive order. That includes evaluating the state’s robust tax incentives for the data center industry, according to the governor’s office.
State lawmakers encouraged the dramatic growth of the data center industry by offering lucrative tax breaks in the name of bringing jobs to rural areas. The Times and ProPublica reported last year that data centers have grown into a major consumer of electricity in some of Washington's greenest counties, threatening the region’s ability to meet power demand while phasing out fossil fuels.
In 2022, then-Gov. Jay Inslee blocked efforts to study data center electricity use, the news organizations reported. State lawmakers included a provision to measure how much power data centers use in a bill that expanded tax breaks for the industry. Inslee signed into law the tax break expansion but vetoed the study.
Inslee’s office said last year that the study would have duplicated work underway by regional power planners, who have produced wide-ranging forecasts about data centers’ power use in the Pacific Northwest. Still, no agency or entity has assessed the industry’s growing energy demands in Washington specifically or the impact of the state’s tax break on its power grid.
As of July, Washington was home to at least 87 data centers, according to the industry-tracking website Baxtel.
Ferguson’s workgroup will be led by the Department of Revenue, the state agency responsible for determining the eligibility of data centers for tax breaks.
Ferguson’s team will include participants from state agencies responsible for tax incentives, clean energy goals, the environment and utility regulation, as well as private representatives from labor organizations and the data center industry.
In addition to examining energy use, Ferguson’s office said the workgroup will review data on job creation in the industry — a key measure for understanding the success of Washington’s tax incentive program, which has been shielded from transparency and accountability for years.
It’s unclear how many high-paying tech jobs the tax break has created at individual data centers because state revenue officials aren’t allowed to say.
The group is tasked with producing findings and recommendations by December, according to the governor’s office.
Man robbed at BP Gas Station, North Riverfront
On February 4, District 6 officers responded to a Robbery in the 200 block of East Grand, around 3 p.m. A 53-year-old man told officers he was walking out of the BP Gas Station. A man approached him and pointed a gun at him. The 53-year-old ran and in the process was unsure if he […]
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