Land use

The article covers Q&A sessions with candidates for State House District 13, focusing on land use, wages, and shipping. The district includes two of the neighbor islands.

Data center development in Texas is expanding, prompting communities, local officials, and state leaders to question its impact on power grids, water supplies, and land use. The industry's growth has led to calls for increased oversight.

Data centers are becoming a contentious issue in gubernatorial races as political candidates face pressure over AI infrastructure, energy prices, and land use concerns. The backlash against these facilities is forcing both incumbents and challengers to address public anxieties about their impact.

The article highlights how the rapid growth of data centers, driven by AI, cloud computing, and cryptocurrency, poses environmental and public health risks through air and water pollution, noise, land use changes, and energy costs. U.S. data centers are projected to consume 12% of national electricity by 2028, with Virginia hosting over 600 facilities that already use 26% of the state’s electricity.

Nevada Republicans are choosing between James Settelmeyer, a former state senator with political experience, and David Flippo, a Trump-endorsed retired military officer, for the open 2nd District congressional seat. The primary tests voter preference between established politicians and Trump-backed newcomers, with both candidates emphasizing conservative policies and state issues like water and land use.

A study from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa debunks a 50-year myth that Indigenous Hawaiians hunted native waterbirds to extinction. Researchers propose climate change, invasive species, and land use changes are more likely responsible for the birds' decline, with factors predating Polynesian arrival or occurring after traditional stewardship systems were disrupted.